Disclosed are novel synthetically-modified B. thuringiensis nucleic acid segments encoding δ-endotoxins having insecticidal activity against lepidopteran insects. Also disclosed are synthetic crystal proteins encoded by these novel nucleic acid sequences. Methods of making and using these genes and...http://www.google.fr/patents/US6153814?utm_source=gb-gplus-shareBrevet US6153814 - Polypeptide compositions toxic to lepidopteran insects and methods for making same

Polypeptide compositions toxic to lepidopteran insects and methods for making sameUS 6153814 A

Résumé

Disclosed are novel synthetically-modified B. thuringiensis nucleic acid segments encoding δ-endotoxins having insecticidal activity against lepidopteran insects. Also disclosed are synthetic crystal proteins encoded by these novel nucleic acid sequences. Methods of making and using these genes and proteins are disclosed as well as methods for the recombinant expression, and transformation of suitable host cells. Transformed host cells and transgenic plants expressing the modified endotoxin are also aspects of the invention. Also disclosed are methods for modifying, altering, and mutagenizing specific loop regions between the α helices in domain 1 of these crystal proteins, including Cry1C, to produce genetically-engineered recombinant cry* genes, and the proteins they encode which have improved insecticidal activity. In preferred embodiments, novel Cry1C* amino acid segments and the modified cry1C* nucleic acid sequences which encode them are disclosed.

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Revendications(91)

What is claimed is:

1. An isolated B. thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having one or more amino acid mutations in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

2. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein said loop region extends from about amino acid 118 to about amino acid 124 of a native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

3. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein glutamic acid, asparagine or alanine is substituted with another amino acid.

4. The polypeptide of claim 3, wherein said glutamic acid is Glu118, said asparagine is Asn121, or said alanine is Ala124.

5. The polypeptide of claim 4, wherein said Glu118, Asn121, or Ala124 is substituted by a valine, threonine, histidine, glycine or aspartic acid residue.

6. The polypeptide of claim 5, wherein said Glu118 is substituted by an aspartic acid residue, said Asn121 is substituted by a histidine residue and said Ala124 is substituted by a threonine residue.

18. A composition comprising a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having one or more amino acid mutations in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to a native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

22. The composition of claim 18, wherein said composition is prepared by desiccation, lyophilization, homogenization, extraction, filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation, or concentration of a culture of Bacillus thuringiensis cells.

23. A composition comprising a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide, said polypeptide prepared by a process comprising the steps of:

31. A Bacillus thuringiensis cell having the NRRL accession number B-21609.

32. A Bacillus thuringiensis cell having the NRRL accession number B-21590.

33. A Bacillus thuringiensis cell having the NRRL accession number B-21591.

34. A polynucleotide comprising an isolated gene that encodes a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having one or more amino acid mutations in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

35. The polynucleotide of claim 34, wherein said loop region extends from about amino acid 118 to about amino acid 124 of the native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

36. The polynucleotide of claim 34, wherein glutamic acid, asparagine, or alanine is substituted with another amino acid.

37. The polynucleotide of claim 36, wherein said glutamic acid is Glu118, said asparagineis Asn121, or said alanine is Ala124.

38. The polynucleotide of claim 37, wherein said Glu118, Asn121, or Ala124 is substituted by a valine, threonine, histidine, glycine, or aspartic acid residue.

39. The polynucleotide of claim 38, wherein said Glu118 is substituted by an aspartic acid residue, said Asn121 is substituted by a histidine residue, and said Ala124 is substituted by a threonine residue.

53. A vector comprising at least one gene that encodes a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having one or more amino acid mutations in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

54. The vector of claim 53, further defined as a plasmid, cosmid, phagemid, artificial chromosome, phage or viral vector.

57. A host cell comprising a gene encoding a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having one or more amino acid mutations in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

58. The host cell of claim 57, further defined as a prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cell.

59. The host cell of claim 58, further defined as a bacterial cell or a plant cell.

65. A transgenic plant having incorporated into its genome a selected polynucleotide, said polynucleotide comprising a gene that encodes a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having one or more amino acid mutations in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to a native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

66. The transgenic plant of claim 65, wherein said loop region extends from about amino acid 118 to about amino acid 124 of the native CrylC polypeptide.

67. The transgenic plant of claim 65, wherein glutamic acid, asparagine, or alanine is substituted with another amino acid.

68. The transgenic plant of claim 67, wherein said glutamic acid is Glu118, said asparagineis Asn121, or said alanine is Ala124.

69. The transgenic plant of claim 68, wherein said Glu118, Asn121, or Ala124 is substituted by a valine, threonine, histidine, glycine, or aspartic acid residue.

70. The transgenic plant of claim 69, wherein said Glu118 is substituted by an aspartic acid residue, said Asn121 is substituted by a histidine residue, and said Ala124 is substituted by a threonine residue.

81. The transgenic plant of claim 65, further defined as a dicotyledonous plant.

82. The transgenic plant of claim 81, further defined as a legume, soybean, cotton, fruit, berry, or tree.

83. A progeny of any generation of the plant of claim 65, wherein said progeny comprises said selected polynucleotide.

84. A seed of any generation of the plant of claim 65, wherein said seed comprises said selected polynucleotide.

85. A seed of any generation of the progeny of claim 83, wherein said seed comprises said selected polynucleotide.

86. A method of controlling Lepidopteran insects comprising contacting said insects with an insecticidally-effective amount of a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having at least one amino acid mutation in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects when compared to native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

88. The method of claim 87, wherein said polypeptide is encoded by a gene comprising the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11.

89. A method of killing a Lepidopteran insect comprising feeding to said insect an insecticidally-effective amount of a Bacillus thuringiensis CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide having at least one amino acid mutation in the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of domain 1, said polypeptide having improved insecticidal activity against said Lepidopteran insect when compared to native CrylC δ-endotoxin polypeptide.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein said polypeptide is encoded by a gene comprising the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11.

Description

The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/757,536, filed Nov. 27, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,664, the entire contents of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1.1 Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the fields of molecular biology. Certain embodiments concern methods and compositions comprising novel nucleic acid segments and their encoded Bacillus thuringiensis-derived δ-endotoxins. More particularly, it concerns methods of altering the structure of Cry1 crystal proteins by mutagenesis of the loop regions between the α-helices of the protein's domain 1 or of the loop region between α-helix 7 of domain 1 and β-strand 1 of domain 2 to give rise to modified Cry1 proteins (Cry1*). Exemplary mutagenized Cry1C* proteins are disclosed which have modified amino acid sequences in loop regions α3,4; α4,5; and α5,6. The resulting novel Cry1C* gene products encode crystal proteins which have improved activity against members of the Order Lepidoptera. Various methods for making and using these recombinantly-engineered proteins, methods for making and using the nucleic acid segments which encode them, and methods for preparing recombinant host cells and transgenic plants comprising the novel synthetically-modified Cry1C* proteins are disclosed. Also disclosed are compositions comprising transgenic plant cells, their progeny, and seeds derived therefrom

1.2 Description of the Related Art

The most widely used microbial pesticides are derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. B. thuringiensis is a Gram-positive bacterium that produces crystal proteins which are specifically toxic to certain orders and species of insects. Many different strains of B. thuringiensis have been shown to produce insecticidal crystal proteins. Compositions including B. thuringiensis strains which produce insecticidal proteins have been commercially-available and used as environmentally-acceptable insecticides because they are quite toxic to the specific target insect, but are harmless to plants and other non-targeted organisms.

δ-endotoxins are used to control a wide range of leaf-eating caterpillars and beetles, as well as mosquitoes. B. thuringiensis produces a proteinaceous parasporal body or crystal which is toxic upon ingestion by a susceptible insect host. For example, B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1 produces a crystal inclusion comprising δ-endotoxins which are toxic to the larvae of a number of insects in the order Lepidoptera (Schnepf and Whiteley, 1981).

1.2.1 δ-Endotoxins

δ-endotoxins are a large collection of insecticidal proteins produced by B. thuringiensis. Over the past decade research on the structure and function of B. thuringiensis toxins has covered all of the major toxin categories, and while these toxins differ in specific structure and function, general similarities in the structure and function are assumed. Based on the accumulated knowledge of B. thuringiensis toxins, a generalized mode of action for B. thuringiensis toxins has been created and includes: ingestion by the insect, solubilization in the insect midgut (a combination stomach and small intestine), resistance to digestive enzymes sometimes with partial digestion actually "activating" the toxin, binding to the midgut cells, formation of a pore in the insect cells and the disruption of cellular homeostasis (English and Slatin, 1992).

1.2.2 Genes Encoding Crystal Proteins

Many of the δ-endotoxins are related to various degrees by similarities in their amino acid sequences. Historically, the proteins and the genes which encode them were classified based largely upon their spectrum of insecticidal activity. The review by Hofte and Whiteley (1989) discusses the genes and proteins that were identified in B. thuringiensis prior to 1990, and sets forth the nomenclature and classification scheme which has traditionally been applied to B. thuringiensis genes and proteins. cryI genes encode lepidopteran-toxic CryI proteins. cryII genes encode CryII proteins that are toxic to both lepidopterans and dipterans. cryIII genes encode coleopteran-toxic CryIII proteins, while cryIV genes encode dipteran-toxic CryIV proteins.

Based on the degree of sequence similarity, the proteins were further classified into subfamilies; more highly related proteins within each family were assigned divisional letters such as CryIA, CryIB, CryIC, etc. Even more closely related proteins within each division were given names such as CryIC1, CryIC2, etc.

Recently a new nomenclature has been proposed which systematically classifies the Cry proteins based upon amino acid sequence homology rather than upon insect target specificities. This classification scheme is summarized in TABLE 1.

The characterization of the lepidopteran-toxic B. thuringiensis Cry1Aa crystal protein, and the cloning, DNA sequencing, and expression of the gene which encodes it have been described (Schnepf and Whitely, 1981; Schnepf et al., 1985). In related publications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,885 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,036 (specifically incorporated herein by reference), the expression of the native B. thuringiensis Cry1Aa crystal protein in E. coli is disclosed.

Several cry1C genes have been described in the prior art. A cry1C gene truncated at the 3' end was isolated from B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai 7.29 by Sanchis et al. (1988). The truncated protein exhibited toxicity towards Spodoptera species. The sequence of the truncated cry1C gene and its encoded protein was disclosed in PCT WO 88/09812 and in Sanchis et al., (1989). The sequence of a cry1C gene isolated from B. thuringiensis subsp. entomocidus 60.5 was described by Honee et al., (1988). This gene is recognized as the holotype cry1C gene by Hofte and Whiteley (1989). The sequence of a cry1C gene is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,133.

The cry1C gene from B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai EG6346, contained on plasmids pEG315 and pEG916 described herein, encodes a Cry1C protein identical to that described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,133. The Cry1C protein described by Sanchis et al., (1989) and in PCT WO 88/09812 differs from the EG6346 Cry1C protein at several positions that can be described as substitutions within the EG6346 Cry1C protein:

Cry1C N366I, W376C, P377Q, A378R, P379H, P380H, V386G, R775A

Significantly, the amino acid positions 376-380 correspond to amino acid residues predicted to lie within the loop region between β strand 6 and β strand 7 of Cry1C, using the nomenclature adopted by Li et al. (1991) for identifying structures within Cry3A. Bioassay comparisons between the Cry1C protein of strain EG6346 and the Cry1C protein of strain aizawai 7.29 revealed no significant differences in insecticidal activity towards S. exigua, T. ni, or P. xylostella. These results suggested that the two Cry1C proteins exhibited the same insecticidal specificity in spite of their different amino acid sequences within the predicted loop region between β strand 6 and β strand 7.

Smith and Ellar (1994) reported the cloning of a cry1C gene from B. thuringiensis strain HD229 and demonstrated that amino acid substitutions within the putative loop region between β strand 6 and β strand 7 ("loop β 6-7") altered the insecticidal specificity of Cry1C towards Spodoptera frugiperda and Aedes aegypti but did not improve the toxicity of Cry1C towards either insect pest. These results appeared to conflict with the aforementioned bioassay comparison between the EG6346 Cry1C protein and the aizawai 7.29 Cry1C protein showing no effect of amino acid substitutions within loop β 6-7 of Cry1C on insecticidal specificity. Accordingly, the cry1C gene from strain aizawai 7.29 was re-sequenced where variant codons for the active toxin region were reported by Sanchis et al., (1989) and in PCT WO 88/09812. The results of that sequence analysis revealed no differences in the amino acid sequences of the active toxins of Cry1C from strain EG6346 and of Cry1C from strain aizawai 7.29. Thus, the prior art on the Cry1C protein of strain aizawai 7.29, in light of the aforementioned bioassay comparisons with the Cry1C protein of strain EG6346, incorrectly taught that multiple amino acid substitutions within loop β 6-7 of Cry1C had no effect on insecticidal specificity. Recently, Smith et al., (1996) also reported unspecified sequencing errors in the aizawai 7.29 cry1C gene.

1.2.5 Molecular Genetic Techniques Facilitate Protein Engineering

The revolution in molecular genetics over the past decade has facilitated a logical and orderly approach to engineering proteins with improved properties. Site specific and random mutagenesis methods, the advent of polymerase chain reaction (PCR™) methodologies, and related advances in the field have permitted an extensive collection of tools for changing both amino acid sequence, and underlying genetic sequences for a variety of proteins of commercial, medical, and agricultural interest

Following the rapid increase in the number and types of crystal proteins which have been identified in the past decade, researchers began to theorize about using such techniques to improve the insecticidal activity of various crystal proteins. In theory, improvements to δ-endotoxins should be possible using the methods available to protein engineers working in the art, and it was logical to assume that it would be possible to isolate improved variants of the wild-type crystal proteins isolated to date. By strengthening one or more of the aforementioned steps in the mode of action of the toxin, improved molecules should provide enhanced activity, and therefore, represent a breakthrough in the field. If specific amino acid residues on the protein are identified to be responsible for a specific step in the mode of action, then these residues can be targeted for mutagenesis to improve performance.

1.2.6 Structural Analyses of Crystal Proteins

The combination of structural analyses of B. thuringiensis toxins followed by an investigation of the function of such structures, motifs, and the like has taught that specific regions of crystal protein endotoxins are, in a general way, responsible for particular functions.

Unfortunately, while many laboratories have attempted to make mutated crystal proteins, few have succeeded in making mutated crystal proteins with improved lepidopteran toxicity. In almost all of the examples of genetically-engineered B. thuringiensis toxins in the literature, the biological activity of the mutated crystal protein is no better than that of the wild-type protein, and in many cases, the activity is decreased or destroyed altogether (Almond and Dean, 1993; Aronson et al., 1995; Chen et al., 1993, Chen et al., 1995; Ge et al., 1991; Kwak et al., 1995; Lu et al., 1994; Rajamohan et al., 1995; Rajamohan et al., 1996; Smedley and Ellar, 1996; Smith and Ellar, 1994; Wolfersberger et al., 1996; Wu and Aronson, 1992). For a crystal protein having approximately 650 amino acids in the sequence of its active toxin, and the possibility of 20 different amino acids at each of these sites, the likelihood of arbitrarily creating a successful new structure is remote, even if a general function to a stretch of 250-300 amino acids can be assigned. Indeed, the above prior art with respect to crystal protein gene mutagenesis has been concerned primarily with studying the structure and function of the crystal proteins, using mutagenesis to perturb some step in the mode of action, rather than with engineering improved toxins.

Several examples, however, do exist in the prior art where improvements to biological activity were achieved by preparing a recombinant crystal protein. Angsuthanasamnbat et al. (1993) demonstrated that a stretch of amino acids in the dipteran-toxic Cry4B delta-endotoxin is proteolytically sensitive and, by repairing this site, the dipteran toxicity of this protein was increased three-fold. In contrast, the elimination of a trypsin cleavage site on the lepidopteran-toxic Cry9C protein was reported to have no effect on insecticidal activity (Lambert et al., 1996). In another example, Wu and Dean (1996) demonstrated that specific changes to amino acids at residues 481-486 (domain 2) in the coleopteran-toxic Cry3A protein increased the biological activity of this protein by 2.4-fold against one target insect, presumably by altering toxin binding. Finally, chimeric Cry1 proteins containing exchanges of domain 2 or domain 3 sequences and exhibiting improved toxicity have been reported, but there is no evidence that toxicity has been improved for more than one lepidopteran insect pest or that insecticidal activity towards other lepidopteran pests has been retained (Caramori et al., 1991; Ge et al., 1991, de Maagd et al., 1996). Based on the prior art, exchanges involving domain 2 or domain 3 would be expected to change insecticidal specificity.

Collectively, the limited successes in the art to develop synthetic toxins with improved insecticidal activity have stifled progress in this area and confounded the search for improved endotoxins or crystal proteins. Rather than following simple and predictable rules, the successful engineering of an improved crystal protein may involve different strategies, depending on the crystal protein being improved and the insect pests being targeted. Thus, the process is highly empirical.

The present invention seeks to overcome these and other drawbacks inherent in the prior art by providing genetically-engineered modified B. thuringiensis Cry1 δ-endotoxin genes, and in particular, cry1C genes, that encode modified crystal proteins having improved insecticidal activity against lepidopterans. Disclosed are novel methods for constructing synthetic Cry1 proteins, synthetically-modified nucleic acid sequences encoding such proteins, and compositions arising therefrom. Also provided are synthetic cry1* expression constructs and various methods of using the improved genes and vectors. In a preferred embodiment, the invention discloses and claims Cry1C* proteins and cry1C* genes which encode the modified proteins.

Accordingly, the present invention provides mutagenized Cry1C protein genes and methods of making and using such genes. As used herein the term "mutagenized Cry1C protein gene(s)" means one or more genes that have been mutagenized or altered to contain one or more nucleotide sequences which are not present in the wild type sequences, and which encode mutant Cry1C crystal proteins (Cry1C*) showing improved insecticidal activity. Preferably the novel sequences comprise nucleic acid sequences in which at least one, and preferably, more than one, and most preferably, a significant number, of wild-type Cry1C nucleotides have been replaced with one or more nucleotides, or where one or more nucleotides have been added to or deleted from the native nucleotide sequence for the purpose of altering, adding, or deleting the corresponding amino acids encoded by the nucleic acid sequence so mutagenized. The desired result, therefore, is alteration of the amino acid sequence of the encoded crystal protein to provide toxins having improved or altered activity and/or specificity compared to that of the unmodified crystal protein. Modified cry1C gene sequences have been termed cry1C* by the inventors, while modified Cry1C crystal proteins encoded therein are termed Cry1C* proteins.

Contrary to the teachings of the prior art which have focused attention on the α-helices of crystal proteins as sites for genetic engineering to improve toxin activity, the present invention differs markedly by providing methods for creating modified loop regions between adjacent α-helices within one or more of the protein's domains. In a particular illustrative embodiment, the inventors have shown remarkable success in generating toxins with improved insecticidal activity using these methods. In particular, the inventors have identified unique loop regions within domain 1 of a Cry1 crystal protein which have been targeted for specific and random mutagenesis.

In a preferred embodiment, the inventors have identified the predicted loop regions between α-helices 1 and 2a; α-helices 2b and 3; α-helices 3 and 4; α-helices 4 and 5; α-helices 5 and 6, α-helices 6 and 7; and between α-helix 7 and β-strand 1 in Cry1 crystal proteins. Using Cry1C as an exemplary model, the inventors have generated amino acid substitutions within or adjacent to these predicted loop regions to produce synthetically-modified Cry1C* toxins which demonstrated improved insecticidal activity. In mutating specific residues within these loop regions, the inventors were able to produce synthetic crystal proteins which retained or possessed enhanced insecticidal activity against certain lepidopteran pests, including the beet armyworm, S. exigua.

Claimed is an isolated B. thuringiensis crystal protein that has one or more modified amino acid sequences in one or more loop regions of domain 1, or between α helix 7 of domain 1 and β strand 1 of domain 2. These synthetically-modified crystal proteins have insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects. The modified amino acid sequences may occur in one or more of the following loop regions: between α helices 1 and 2a, α helices 2b and 3, α helices 3 and 4, α helices 4 and 5, α helices 5 and 6, α helices 6 and 7 of domain 1, or between the α helix 7 of domain 1 and β strand 1 of domain 2.

In an illustrative embodiment, the invention encompasses modifications which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 1 and 2a of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 42 to about amino acid 46, with adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 39 to about amino acid 41 and from about amino acid 47 to about amino acid 49.

The invention also encompasses modifications which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 2b and 3 of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 84 to about amino acid 88, with adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 81 to about amino acid 83, and from about amino acid 89 to about amino acid 91.

The invention also encompasses modifications which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 119 to about amino acid 123, with the adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 116 to about amino acid 118, and from about amino acid 124 to about amino acid 126.

Likewise, the invention also encompasses modifications which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 4 and 5 of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 149 to about amino acid 155, with the adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 146 to about amino acid 148, and from about amino acid 156 to about amino acid 158.

The invention further encompasses modifications which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 5 and 6 of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 177 to about amino acid 184, with the adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 174 to about amino acid 176, and from about amino acid 185 to about amino acid 187.

Another aspect of the invention encompasses modifications in the amino acid sequence which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 6 and 7 of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 218 to about amino acid 221, with the adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 215 to about amino acid 217, and from about amino acid 222 to about amino acid 224.

In a similar fashion, the invention also encompasses modifications in the amino acid sequence which may be made in or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helix 7 of domain 1 and β strand 1 of domain 2 of a Cry1C protein. This loop region extends from about amino acid 250 to about amino acid 259, with the adjacent amino acids extending from about amino acid 247 to about amino acid 249, and from about amino acid 260 to about amino acid 262.

In addition to modifications of Cry1C peptides, those having benefit of the present teaching are now also able to make mutations in the loop regions of proteins which are related to Cry1C structurally. In fact, the inventors contemplate that any crystal protein or peptide having helices which are linked together by loop regions may be altered using the methods disclosed herein to produce crystal proteins having altered loop regions. For example, the inventors contemplate that the particular Cry1 crystal proteins in which such modifications may be made include the Cry1A, Cry1B, Cry1C, Cry1D, Cry1E, Cry1F, Cry1G, Cry1H, Cry1I, Cry1J, and Cry1K crystal proteins which are known in the art, as well as other crystal proteins not yet described or characterized which may be classified as a Cry1 crystal protein based upon amino acid similarity to the known Cry1 proteins. Preferred Cry1 proteins presently described which are contemplated by the inventors to be modified by the methods disclosed herein for the purpose of producing crystal proteins with altered activity or specificity include, but are not limited to Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1Ad, Cry1Ae, Cry1Ba, Cry1Bb, Cry1Bc, Cry1Ca, Cry1Cb, Cry1Da, Cry1Db, Cry1Ea, Cry1Eb, Cry1Fa, Cry1Fb, Cry1Hb, Cry1Ia, Cry1Ib, Cry1Ja, and Cry1Jb crystal proteins, with Cry1Ca crystal proteins being particularly preferred.

Modifications which may be made to these loop regions which are contemplated by the inventors to be most preferred in producing crystal proteins with improved insecticidal activity include, but are not limited to, substitution of one or more amino acids by one or more amino acids not normally found at the particular site of substitution in the wild-type protein. In particular, substitutions of one or more arginine residues by an alanine, leucine, methionine, glycine, or aspartic acid residues have been shown to be particularly useful in the production of such enhanced proteins. Likewise, the inventors have demonstrated that substitutions of one or more lysine residues contained within or immediately adjacent to the loop regions with an alanine residue produce mutant proteins which have desirable insecticidal properties not found in the parent, or wild-type protein. Particularly preferred arginine residues in the Cry1C protein include Arg86, Arg148, Arg180, Arg252, and Arg253, while a particularly preferred lysine residue in Cry1C is Lys219.

Mutant proteins which have been developed by the inventors demonstrating the efficiency and efficacy of this mutagenesis strategy include the Cry1C-R148L, Cry1C-R148M, Cry1C-R148D, Cry1C-R148A, Cry1C-R148G, and Cry1C-R180A strains described in detail herein.

Disclosed and claimed herein is a method for preparing a modified crystal protein which generally involves the steps of identifying a crystal protein having one or more loop regions between adjacent α-helices, introducing one or more mutations into at least one of those loop regions, or alternatively, into the amino acid residues immediately flanking the loop regions, and then obtaining the modified crystal protein so produced. The modified crystal proteins obtained by such a method are also important aspects of this invention.

According to the invention, base substitutions may be made in the cry1C nucleotide sequence in order to change particular amino acids within or near the predicted loop regions of Cry1C between the α-helices of domain 1. The resulting Cry1C* proteins may then be assayed for bioinsecticide activity using the techniques disclosed herein to identifying proteins having improved toxin activity.

As an illustrative embodiment, changes in three such amino acids within the loop region between α-helices 3 and 4 of domain 1 produced modified crystal proteins with enhanced insecticidal activity (Cry1C.499, Cry1C.563, Cry1C.579).

As a second illustrative embodiment, an alanine substitution for an arginine residue within or adjacent to the loop region between α-helices 4 and 5 produced a modified crystal protein with enhanced insecticidal activity (Cry1C-R148A). Although this substitution removes a potential trypsin-cleavage site within domain 1, trypsin digestion of this modified crystal protein revealed no difference in proteolytic stability from the native Cry1C protein.

As a third illustrative embodiment, an alanine substitution for an arginine residue within or adjacent to the loop region between α-helices 5 and 6, the R180A substitution in Cry1C (Cry1C-R180A) also removes a potential trypsin cleavage site in domain 1, yet this substitution has no effect on insecticidal activity. Thus, the steps in the Cry1C protein mode-of-action impacted by these amino acid substitutions have not been determined nor is it obvious what substitutions need to be made to improve insecticidal activity.

Because the structures for Cry3A and Cry1Aa show a remarkable conservation of protein tertiary structure (Grochulski et al., 1995), and because many crystal proteins show significant amino acid sequence identity to the Cry1C amino acid sequence within domain 1, including proteins of the Cry1, Cry2, Cry3, Cry4, Cry5, Cry7, Cry8, Cry9, Cry10, Cry11, Cry12, Cry13, Cry14, and Cry16 classes (TABLE 1), now in light of the inventors' surprising discovery, for the first time, those of skill in the art having benefit of the teachings disclosed herein will be able to broadly apply the methods of the invention to modifying a host of crystal proteins with improved activity or altered specificity. Such methods will not only be limited to the crystal proteins disclosed in TABLE 1, but may also been applied to any other related crystal protein, including those yet to be identified, which comprise one or more loop regions between one or more pairs of adjacent α-helices.

In particular, such methods may be now applied to preparation of modified crystal proteins having one or more alterations in the loop regions of domain 1. The inventors further contemplate that similar loop regions may be identified in other domains of crystal proteins which may be similarly modified through site-specific or random mutagenesis to generate toxins having improved activity, or alternatively, altered insect specificity. In certain applications, the creation of altered toxins having increased activity against one or more insects is desired. Alternatively, it may be desirable to utilize the methods described herein for creating and identifying altered crystal proteins which are active against a wider spectrum of susceptible insects. The inventors further contemplate that the creation of chimeric crystal proteins comprising one or more loop regions as described herein may be desirable for preparing "super" toxins which have the combined advantages of increased insecticidal activity and concomitant broad specificity.

In light of the present disclosure, the mutagenesis of codons encoding amino acids within or adjacent to the loop regions between the α-helices of domain 1 of these proteins may also result in the generation of a host of related insecticidal proteins having improved activity. As an illustrative example, alignment of Cry1 amino acid sequences spanning the loop region between α-helices 4 and 5 reveals that several Cry1 proteins contain an arginine residue at the position homologous to R148 of Cry1C. Since the Cry1C R148A mutant exhibits improved toxicity towards a number of lepidopteran pests, it is contemplated by the inventors that similar substitutions in these other Cry1 proteins will also yield improved insecticidal proteins. While exemplary mutations have been described for three of the loop regions which resulted in crystal proteins having improved toxicity, the inventors contemplate that mutations may also be made in other loop regions or other portions of the active toxin which will give rise to functional bioinsecticidal crystal proteins. All such mutations are considered to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

In one illustrative embodiment, mutagenized cry1C* genes are obtained which encode Cry1C* variants that are generally based upon the wild-type Cry1C sequence, but that have one or more changes incorporated into or adjacent to the loop regions in domain 1. A particular example is a mutated cry1C-R148A gene (SEQ ID NO:1) that encodes a Cry1C* with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 in which Arginine at position 148 has been replaced by Alanine.

In a second illustrative embodiment, mutagenized cry1C* genes will encode Cry1C* variants that are generally based upon the wild-type Cry1C sequence, but that have certain changes. A particular example is a mutated cry1C-R180A gene (SEQ ID NO:5) that encodes a Cry1C* with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:6 in which Arginine at position 180 has been replaced by Alanine.

In a third illustrative embodiment, mutagenized cry1C* genes will encode Cry1C* variants that are generally based upon the wild-type Cry1C sequence, but that have certain changes. A particular example is a mutated cry1C.563 gene (SEQ ID NO:7) that encodes a Cry1C with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:8 in which mutations in nucleic acid residues 354, 361, 369, and 370, resulted in point mutations A to T, A to C, A to C, and G to A, respectively. These mutations modified the amino acid sequence at positions 118 (Glu to Asp), 121 (Asn to His), and 124 (Ala to Thr). Using the nomenclature convention described above, such a mutation could also properly be described as a Cry1C-E118D-N121H-A124T mutant.

In a fourth illustrative embodiment, mutagenized cry1C* genes will encode Cry1C* variants that are generally based upon the wild-type Cry1C sequence, but that have certain changes. A particular example is a mutated cry1C.579 gene (SEQ ID NO:9) that encodes a Cry1C* with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:10 in which mutations in nucleic acid residues 353, 369, and 371, resulted in point mutations A to T, A to T, and C to G, respectively. These mutations modified the amino acid sequence at positions 118 (Glu to Val) and 124 (Ala to Gly). Using the nomenclature convention described above, such a mutation could also properly be described as a Cry1C-E118V-A124G mutant.

In a fifth illustrative embodiment, mutagenized cry1C* genes will encode Cry1C* variants that are generally based upon the wild-type Cry1C sequence, but that have certain changes. A particular example is a mutated cry1C.499 gene (SEQ ID NO:11) that encodes a Cry1C* with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:12 in which mutations in nucleic acid residues 360 and 361 resulted in point mutations T to C and A to C, respectively. These mutations modified the amino acid sequence at position 121 (Asn to His). Using the nomenclature convention described above, such a mutation could also properly be described as a Cry1C-N121H mutant.

In a sixth illustrative embodiment, mutagenized cry1C* genes will encode Cry1C* variants that are generally based upon the wild-type Cry1C sequence, but that have certain changes. A particular example is a mutated cry1C-R148D gene (SEQ ID NO:3) that encodes a Cry1C* with an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4 in which Arg at position 148 has been replaced by Asp.

The mutated genes of the present invention are also definable by genes in which at least one or more of the codon positions contained within or adjacent to one or more loop regions between 2 or more α-helices contain one or more substituted codons. That is, they contain one or more codons that are not present in the wild-type gene at the particular site(s) of mutagenesis and that encode one or more amino acid substitutions.

In other embodiments, the mutated genes will have at least about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 45%, or even about 50% or more of the codon positions within a loop region between 2 α-helices substituted by one or more codons not present in the wild-type gene sequence at the particular site of mutagenesis and/or amino acid substitution. Mutated cry1C* genes wherein at least about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or above of the codon positions contained within a loop region between 2 α-helices have been altered are also contemplated to be useful in the practice of the present invention.

Also contemplated to fall within the scope of the invention are combinatorial mutants which contain two or more modified loop regions, or alternatively, contain two or more mutations within a single loop region, or alternatively, two or more modified loop regions with each domain containing two or more modifications. cry1C* genes wherein modifications have been made in a combination of two or more helices, e.g., α-helices 1 and 2a, α-helices 2b and 3, α-helices 3 and 4, α-helices 4 and 5, α-helices 5 and 6, α-helices 6 and 7, and/or modifications between α-helix 7 and β-strand 1, are also important aspects of the present invention.

As an illustrative example, a mutated crystal protein that the inventors designate Cry1C-R148A.563. contains an arginine to alanine substitution at position 148, as well as incorporate the mutations present in Cry1C.563. Such a mutated crystal protein would, therefore, have modified both the α3/4 loop region and the α 4/5 loop region. For sake of clarity, an "α 3/4 loop region" is intended to mean the loop region between the 3rd and 4th α helices, while an "a 4/5 loop region" is intended to mean the loop region between the 4th and 5th α helices, etc. Other helices and their corresponding loop regions have been similarly identified throughout this specification. FIG. 1 illustrates graphically the placement of loop regions between helices for Cry1C.

Preferred mutated cry1C genes of the invention are those genes that contain certain key changes. Examples are genes that comprise amino acid substitutions from Arg to Ala or Asp (particularly at amino acid residues 86, 148, 180, 252, and 253); or Lys to Ala or Asp (particularly at amino acid residue 219).

Genes mutated in the manner of the invention may also be operatively linked to other protein-encoding nucleic acid sequences. This will generally result in the production of a fusion protein following expression of such a nucleic acid construct. Both N-terminal and C-terminal fusion proteins are contemplated.

Virtually any protein- or peptide-encoding DNA sequence, or combinations thereof, may be fused to a mutated cry1C* sequence in order to encode a fusion protein. This includes DNA sequences that encode targeting peptides, proteins for recombinant expression, proteins to which one or more targeting peptides is attached, protein subunits, domains from one or more crystal proteins, and the like.

In one aspect, the invention discloses and claims host cells comprising one or more of the modified crystal proteins disclosed herein, and in particular, cells of the novel B. thuringiensis strains EG11811, EG11815, EG11740, EG11746, EG11822, EG11831, EG11832, and EG11747 which comprise recombinant DNA segments encoding synthetically-modified Cry1C* crystal proteins which demonstrates improved insecticidal activity against members of the Order Lepidoptera.

Likewise, the invention also discloses and claims cell cultures of B. thuringiensis EG11811, EG11815, EG11740, EG11746, EG11822, EG11831, EG11832, and EG11747. Such cell cultures may be biologically-pure cultures consisting of a single strain, or alternatively may be cell co-cultures consisting of one or more strains. Such cell cultures may be cultivated under conditions in which one or more additional B. thuringiensis or other bacterial strains are simultaneously co-cultured with one or more of the disclosed cultures, or alternatively, one or more of the cell cultures of the present invention may be combined with one or more additional B. thuringiensis or other bacterial strains following the independent culture of each. Such procedures may be useful when suspensions of cells containing two or more different crystal proteins are desired.

The subject cultures have been deposited under conditions that assure that access to the cultures will be available during the pendency of this patent application to one determined by the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks to be entitled thereto under 37 C.F.R. §1.14 and 35 U.S.C. §122. The deposits are available as required by foreign patent laws in countries wherein counterparts of the subject application, or its progeny, are filed. However, it should be understood that the availability of a deposit does not constitute a license to practice the subject invention in derogation of patent rights granted by governmental action.

Further, the subject culture deposits will be stored and made available to the public in accord with the provisions of the Budapest Treaty for the Deposit of Microorganisms, i.e., they will be stored with all the care necessary to keep them viable and uncontaminated for a period of at least five years after the most recent request for the finishing of a sample of the deposit, and in any case, for a period of at least 30 (thirty) years after the date of deposit or for the enforceable life of any patent which may issue disclosing the cultures. The depositor acknowledges the duty to replace the deposits should the depository be unable to furnish a sample when requested, due to the condition of the deposits. All restrictions on the availability to the public of the subject culture deposits will be irrevocably removed upon the granting of a patent disclosing them.

Cultures of the following strains were deposited in the permanent collection of the Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection, Northern Regional Research Laboratory (NRRL) under the terms of the Budapest Treaty:

The modified Cry1* crystal proteins of the present invention are preparable by a process which generally involves the steps of: (a) identifying a Cry1 crystal protein having one or more loop regions between two adjacent α helices or between an α helix and a β strand; (b) introducing one or more mutations into at least one of these loop regions; and (c) obtaining the modified Cry1* crystal protein so produced. As described above, these loop regions occur between α helices 1 and 2, α helices 2 and 3, α helices 3 and 4, α helices 4 and 5, α helices 5 and 6, and α helices 6 and 7 of domain 1 of the crystal protein, and between α helix 7 of domain 1 and the β strand 1 of domain 2.

Amino acid, peptide and protein sequences within the scope of the present invention include, and are not limited to the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, and SEQ ID NO:12, and alterations in the amino acid sequences including alterations, deletions, mutations, and homologs. Compositions which comprise from about 0.5% to about 99% by weight of the crystal protein, or more preferably from about 5% to about 75%, or from about 25% to about 50% by weight of the crystal protein are provided herein. Such compositions may readily be prepared using techniques of protein production and purification well-known to those of skill, and the methods disclosed herein. Such a process for preparing a Cry1C* crystal protein generally involves the steps of culturing a host cell which expresses the Cry1C* protein (such as a Bacillus thuringiensis NRRL B-21590, NRRL B-21591, NRRL B-21638, NRRL B-21639, NRRL, B-21640, NRRL, B-21609, NRRL, B-21610, or NRRL B-21592 cell) under conditions effective to produce the crystal protein, and then obtaining the crystal protein so produced. The protein may be present within intact cells, and as such, no subsequent protein isolation or purification steps may be required. Alternatively, the cells may be broken, sonicated, lysed, disrupted, or plasmolyzed to free the crystal protein(s) from the remaining cell debris. In such cases, one may desire to isolate, concentrate, or further purify the resulting crystals containing the proteins prior to use, such as, for example, in the formulation of insecticidal compositions. The composition may ultimately be purified to consist almost entirely of the pure protein, or alternatively, be purified or isolated to a degree such that the composition comprises the crystal protein(s) in an amount of from between about 0.5% and about 99% by weight, or in an amount of from between about 5% and about 90% by weight, or in an amount of from between about 25% and about 75% by weight, etc.

2.2 Recombinant Vectors Expressing the Mutagenized cry1C Genes

One important embodiment of the invention is a recombinant vector which comprises a nucleic acid segment encoding one or more B. thuringiensis crystal proteins having a modified amino acid sequence in one or more loop regions of domain 1, or between α helix 7 of domain 1 and β strand 1 of domain 2. Such a vector may be transferred to and replicated in a prokaryotic or eukaryotic host, with bacterial cells being particularly preferred as prokaryotic hosts, and plant cells being particularly preferred as eukaryotic hosts.

Another important embodiment of the invention is a transformed host cell which expresses one or more of these recombinant vectors. The host cell may be either prokaryotic or eukaryotic, and particularly preferred host cells are those which express the nucleic acid segment(s) comprising the recombinant vector which encode one or more B. thuringiensis crystal protein comprising modified amino acid sequences in one or more loop regions of domain 1, or between α helix 7 of domain 1 and β strand 1 of domain 2. Bacterial cells are particularly preferred as prokaryotic hosts, and plant cells are particularly preferred as eukaryotic hosts

In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method of using a nucleic acid segment of the present invention that encodes a cry1C* gene. The method generally comprises the steps of: (a) preparing a recombinant vector in which the cry1C* gene is positioned under the control of a promoter; (b) introducing the recombinant vector into a host cell; (c) culturing the host cell under conditions effective to allow expression of the Cry1C* crystal protein encoded by said cry1C* gene; and (d) obtaining the expressed Cry1C* crystal protein or peptide.

A wide variety of ways are available for introducing a B. thuringiensis gene expressing a toxin into the microorganism host under conditions which allow for stable maintenance and expression of the gene. One can provide for DNA constructs which include the transcriptional and translational regulatory signals for expression of the toxin gene, the toxin gene under their regulatory control and a DNA sequence homologous with a sequence in the host organism, whereby integration will occur, and/or a replication system which is functional in the host, whereby integration or stable maintenance will occur.

The transcriptional initiation signals will include a promoter and a transcriptional initiation start site. In some instances, it may be desirable to provide for regulative expression of the toxin, where expression of the toxin will only occur after release into the environment. This can be achieved with operators or a region binding to an activator or enhancers, which are capable of induction upon a change in the physical or chemical environment of the microorganisms. For example, a temperature sensitive regulatory region may be employed, where the organisms may be grown up in the laboratory without expression of a toxin, but upon release into the environment, expression would begin. Other techniques may employ a specific nutrient medium in the laboratory, which inhibits the expression of the toxin, where the nutrient medium in the environment would allow for expression of the toxin. For translational initiation, a ribosomal binding site and an initiation codon will be present.

Various manipulations may be employed for enhancing the expression of the messenger RNA, particularly by using an active promoter, as well as by employing sequences, which enhance the stability of the messenger RNA. The transcriptional and translational termination region will involve stop codon(s), a terminator region, and optionally, a polyadenylation signal. A hydrophobic "leader" sequence may be employed at the amino terminus of the translated polypeptide sequence in order to promote secretion of the protein across the inner membrane.

In the direction of transcription, namely in the 5' to 3' direction of the coding or sense sequence, the construct will involve the transcriptional regulatory region, if any, and the promoter, where the regulatory region may be either 5' or 3' of the promoter, the ribosomal binding site, the initiation codon, the structural gene having an open reading frame in phase with the initiation codon, the stop codon(s), the polyadenylation signal sequence, if any, and the terminator region. This sequence as a double strand may be used by itself for transformation of a microorganism host, but will usually be included with a DNA sequence involving a marker, where the second DNA sequence may be joined to the toxin expression construct during introduction of the DNA into the host.

By a marker is intended a structural gene which provides for selection of those hosts which have been modified or transformed. The marker will normally provide for selective advantage, for example, providing for biocide resistance, e.g., resistance to antibiotics or heavy metals; complementation, so as to provide prototropy to an auxotrophic host, or the like. Preferably, complementation is employed, so that the modified host may not only be selected, but may also be competitive in the field. One or more markers may be employed in the development of the constructs, as well as for modifying the host. The organisms may be further modified by providing for a competitive advantage against other wild-type microorganisms in the field. For example, genes expressing metal chelating agents, e.g., siderophores, may be introduced into the host along with the structural gene expressing the toxin. In this manner, the enhanced expression of a siderophore may provide for a competitive advantage for the toxin-producing host, so that it may effectively compete with the wild-type microorganisms and stably occupy a niche in the environment.

Where no functional replication system is present, the construct will also include a sequence of at least 50 basepairs (bp), preferably at least about 100 bp, more preferably at least about 1000 bp, and usually not more than about 2000 bp of a sequence homologous with a sequence in the host. In this way, the probability of legitimate recombination is enhanced, so that the gene will be integrated into the host and stably maintained by the host. Desirably, the toxin gene will be in close proximity to the gene providing for complementation as well as the gene providing for the competitive advantage. Therefore, in the event that a toxin gene is lost, the resulting organism will be likely to also lost the complementing gene and/or the gene providing for the competitive advantage, so that it will be unable to compete in the environment with the gene retaining the intact construct.

A large number of transcriptional regulatory regions are available from a wide variety of microorganism hosts, such as bacteria, bacteriophage, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, and the like. Various transcriptional regulatory regions include the regions associated with the trp gene, lac gene, gal gene, the λL and λR promoters, the tac promoter, the naturally-occurring promoters associated with the δ-endotoxin gene, where functional in the host. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,898; U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,832; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,270. The termination region may be the termination region normally associated with the transcriptional initiation region or a different transcriptional initiation region, so long as the two regions are compatible and functional in the host.

Where stable episomal maintenance or integration is desired, a plasmid will be employed which has a replication system which is functional in the host. The replication system may be derived from the chromosome, an episomal element normally present in the host or a different host, or a replication system from a virus which is stable in the host. A large number of plasmids are available, such as pBR322, pACYC184, RSF1010, pR01614, and the like. See for example, Olson et al. (1982); Bagdasarian et al. (1981), Baum et al., 1990, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,356,270; 4,362,817; 4,371,625, and 5,441,884, each incorporated specifically herein by reference.

The B. thuringiensis gene can be introduced between the transcriptional and translational initiation region and the transcriptional and translational termination region, so as to be under the regulatory control of the initiation region. This construct will be included in a plasmid, which will include at least one replication system, but may include more than one, where one replication system is employed for cloning during the development of the plasmid and the second replication system is necessary for functioning in the ultimate host. In addition, one or more markers may be present, which have been described previously. Where integration is desired, the plasmid will desirably include a sequence homologous with the host genome.

The transformants can be isolated in accordance with conventional ways, usually employing a selection technique, which allows for selection of the desired organism as against unmodified organisms or transferring organisms, when present. The transformants then can be tested for pesticidal activity. If desired, unwanted or ancillary DNA sequences may be selectively removed from the recombinant bacterium by employing site-specific recombination systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,884 (specifically incorporated herein by reference).

2.3 Synthetic cry1C* DNA Segments

A B. thuringiensis cry1* gene encoding a crystal protein having insecticidal activity against Lepidopteran insects comprising a modified amino acid sequence in one or more loop regions of domain 1 or in a loop region between domain 1 and domain 2 represents an important aspect of the invention. Preferably, the cry1* gene encodes an amino acid sequence in which one or more loop regions have been modified for the purpose of altering the insecticidal activity of the crystal protein. As described above, such loop domains include those between α helices 1 and 2, α helices 2 and 3, α helices 3 and 4, α helices 4 and 5, α helices 5 and 6, or α helices 6 and 7 of domain 1, or between α helix 7 of domain 1 and β strand 1 of domain 2 (FIG. 1). Preferred cry1* genes of the invention include cry1A*, cry1B*, cry1C*, cry1D*, cry1E*, cry1F*, cry1G*, cry1H*, cry1I*, cry1J*, and cry1K* genes, with cry1Aa*, cry1Ab*, cry1Ac*, cry1Ad*, cry1Ae*, cry1Ba*, cry1Bb*, cry1Bc*, cry1Ca*, cry1Cb*, cry1Da*, cry1Db*, cry1Ea*, cry1Eb*, cry1Fa*, cry1Fb*, cry1Hb*, cry1Ia*, cry1Ib, cry1Ja*, and cry1Jb* genes being highly preferred.

In accordance with the present invention, nucleic acid sequences include and are not limited to DNA, including and not limited to cDNA and genomic DNA, genes; RNA, including and not limited to mRNA and tRNA; antisense sequences, nucleosides, and suitable nucleic acid sequences such as those set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9,and SEQ ID NO:11 and alterations in the nucleic acid sequences including alterations, deletions, mutations, and homologs capable of expressing the B. thuringiensis modified toxins of the present invention.

In an illustrative embodiment, the inventors used the methods described herein to produce modified cry1Ca* genes which had improved insecticidal activity against lepidopterans. In these illustrative examples, loop regions were modified by changing one or more arginine residues to alanine or aspartic acid residues, such as mutations at arginine residues Arg148 and Arg180.

As such the present invention also concerns DNA segments, that are free from total genomic DNA and that encode the novel synthetically-modified crystal proteins disclosed herein. DNA segments encoding these peptide species may prove to encode proteins, polypeptides, subunits, functional domains, and the like of crystal protein-related or other non-related gene products. In addition these DNA segments may be synthesized entirely in vitro using methods that are well-known to those of skill in the art.

As used herein, the term "DNA segment" refers to a DNA molecule that has been isolated free of total genomic DNA of a particular species. Therefore, a DNA segment encoding a crystal protein or peptide refers to a DNA segment that contains crystal protein coding sequences yet is isolated away from, or purified free from, total genomic DNA of the species from which the DNA segment is obtained, which in the instant case is the genome of the Gram-positive bacterial genus, Bacillus, and in particular, the species of Bacillus known as B. thuringiensis. Included within the term "DNA segment", are DNA segments and smaller fragments of such segments, and also recombinant vectors, including, for example, plasmids, cosmids, phagemids, phage, viruses, and the like.

Similarly, a DNA segment comprising an isolated or purified crystal protein-encoding gene refers to a DNA segment which may include in addition to peptide encoding sequences, certain other elements such as, regulatory sequences, isolated substantially away from other naturally occurring genes or protein-encoding sequences. In this respect, the term "gene" is used for simplicity to refer to a functional protein-, polypeptide- or peptide-encoding unit. As will be understood by those in the art, this functional term includes both genomic sequences, operon sequences and smaller engineered gene segments that express, or may be adapted to express, proteins, polypeptides or peptides.

"Isolated substantially away from other coding sequences" means that the gene of interest, in this case, a gene encoding a bacterial crystal protein, forms the significant part of the coding region of the DNA segment, and that the DNA segment does not contain large portions of naturally-occurring coding DNA, such as large chromosomal fragments or other functional genes or operon coding regions. Of course, this refers to the DNA segment as originally isolated, and does not exclude genes, recombinant genes, synthetic linkers, or coding regions later added to the segment by the hand of man.

The term "a sequence essentially as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12" means that the sequence substantially corresponds to a portion of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12, and has relatively few amino acids that are not identical to, or a biologically functional equivalent of, the amino acids of any of these sequences. The term "biologically functional equivalent" is well understood in the art and is further defined in detail herein (e.g., see Illustrative Embodiments). Accordingly, sequences that have between about 70% and about 80%, or more preferably between about 81% and about 90%, or even more preferably between about 91% and about 99% amino acid sequence identity or functional equivalence to the amino acids of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12 will be sequences that are "essentially as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6 SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12."

It will also be understood that amino acid and nucleic acid sequences may include additional residues, such as additional N- or C-terminal amino acids or 5' or 3' sequences, and yet still be essentially as set forth in one of the sequences disclosed herein, so long as the sequence meets the criteria set forth above, including the maintenance of biological protein activity where protein expression is concerned. The addition of terminal sequences particularly applies to nucleic acid sequences that may, for example, include various non-coding sequences flanking either of the 5' or 3' portions of the coding region or may include various internal sequences, i.e., introns, which are known to occur within genes.

The nucleic acid segments of the present invention, regardless of the length of the coding sequence itself, may be combined with other DNA sequences, such as promoters, polyadenylation signals, additional restriction enzyme sites, multiple cloning sites, other coding segments, and the like, such that their overall length may vary considerably. It is therefore contemplated that a nucleic acid fragment of almost any length may be employed, with the total length preferably being limited by the ease of preparation and use in the intended recombinant DNA protocol. For example, nucleic acid fragments may be prepared that include a short contiguous stretch encoding the peptide sequence disclosed in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12, or that are identical to or complementary to DNA sequences which encode the peptide disclosed in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12, and particularly the DNA segments disclosed in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, and SEQ ID NO:11. For example, DNA sequences such as about 14 nucleotides, and that are up to about 10,000, about 5,000, about 3,000, about 2,000, about 1,000, about 500, about 200, about 100, about 50, and about 14 base pairs in length (including all intermediate lengths) are also contemplated to be useful.

It will be readily understood that "intermediate lengths", in these contexts, means any length between the quoted ranges, such as 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, etc.; 21, 22, 23, etc.; 30, 31, 32, etc.; 50, 51, 52, 53, etc.; 100, 101, 102, 103, etc.; 150, 151, 152, 153, etc.; including all integers through the 200-500; 500-1,000; 1,000-2,000; 2,000-3,000; 3,000-5,000; and up to and including sequences of about 10,000 nucleotides and the like.

It will also be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular nucleic acid sequences which encode peptides of the present invention, or which encode the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12, including the DNA sequences which are particularly disclosed in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, and SEQ ID NO:11. Recombinant vectors and isolated DNA segments may therefore variously include the peptide coding regions themselves, coding regions bearing selected alterations or modifications in the basic coding region, or they may encode larger polypeptides that nevertheless include these peptide-coding regions or may encode biologically functional equivalent proteins or peptides that have variant amino acids sequences.

The DNA segments of the present invention encompass biologically-functional, equivalent peptides. Such sequences may arise as a consequence of codon redundancy and functional equivalency that are known to occur naturally within nucleic acid sequences and the proteins thus encoded. Alternatively, functionally-equivalent proteins or peptides may be created via the application of recombinant DNA technology, in which changes in the protein structure may be engineered, based on considerations of the properties of the amino acids being exchanged. Changes designed by man may be introduced through the application of site-directed mutagenesis techniques, e.g., to introduce improvements to the antigenicity of the protein or to test mutants in order to examine activity at the molecular level.

If desired, one may also prepare fusion proteins and peptides, e.g., where the peptide-coding regions are aligned within the same expression unit with other proteins or peptides having desired functions, such as for purification or immunodetection purposes (e.g., proteins that may be purified by affinity chromatography and enzyme label coding regions, respectively).

Recombinant vectors form further aspects of the present invention. Particularly useful vectors are contemplated to be those vectors in which the coding portion of the DNA segment, whether encoding a full length protein or smaller peptide, is positioned under the control of a promoter. The promoter may be in the form of the promoter that is naturally associated with a gene encoding peptides of the present invention, as may be obtained by isolating the 5' non-coding sequences located upstream of the coding segment or exon, for example, using recombinant cloning and/or PCR™ technology, in connection with the compositions disclosed herein.

2.4 Recombinant Vectors and Protein Expression

In other embodiments, it is contemplated that certain advantages will be gained by positioning the coding DNA segment under the control of a recombinant, or heterologous, promoter. As used herein, a recombinant or heterologous promoter is intended to refer to a promoter that is not normally associated with a DNA segment encoding a crystal protein or peptide in its natural environment. Such promoters may include promoters normally associated with other genes, and/or promoters isolated from any bacterial, viral, eukaryotic, or plant cell. Naturally, it will be important to employ a promoter that effectively directs the expression of the DNA segment in the cell type, organism, or even animal, chosen for expression. The use of promoter and cell type combinations for protein expression is generally known to those of skill in the art of molecular biology, for example, see Sambrook et al., 1989. The promoters employed may be constitutive, or inducible, and can be used under the appropriate conditions to direct high level expression of the introduced DNA segment, such as is advantageous in the large-scale production of recombinant proteins or peptides. Appropriate promoter systems contemplated for use in high-level expression include, but are not limited to, the Pichia expression vector system (Pharmacia LKB Biotechnology).

In connection with expression embodiments to prepare recombinant proteins and peptides, it is contemplated that longer DNA segments will most often be used, with DNA segments encoding the entire peptide sequence being most preferred. However, it will be appreciated that the use of shorter DNA segments to direct the expression of crystal peptides or epitopic core regions, such as may be used to generate anti-crystal protein antibodies, also falls within the scope of the invention. DNA segments that encode peptide antigens from about 8 to about 50 amino acids in length, or more preferably, from about 8 to about 30 amino acids in length, or even more preferably, from about 8 to about 20 amino acids in length are contemplated to be particularly useful. Such peptide epitopes may be amino acid sequences which comprise contiguous amino acid sequence from SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12.

2.5 Methods for Preparing Mutagenized cry1* Gene Segments

The present invention encompasses both site-specific mutagenesis methods and random mutagenesis of a nucleic acid segment encoding one of the crystal proteins described herein. In particular, methods are disclosed for the random mutagenesis of nucleic acid segments encoding the amino acid sequences identified as being in, or immediately adjacent to, a loop region of domain 1 of the crystal protein, or between the last α helix of domain one and the first β strand of domain 2. The mutagenesis of this nucleic acid segment results in one or more modifications to one or more loop regions of the encoded crystal protein. Using the assay methods described herein, one may then identify mutants arising from this procedure which have improved insecticidal properties or altered specificity, either intraorder or interorder.

In an illustrative embodiment, a nucleic acid segment (SEQ ID NO:7).encoding a Cry1Ca crystal protein was mutagenized in a region corresponding to about amino acid residue 118 to about amino acid residue 124 of the Cry1Ca protein (SEQ ID NO:8). The modified Cry1Ca* resulting from the mutagenesis was termed, Cry1C.563.

In a second illustrative embodiment, a nucleic acid segment (SEQ ID NO:9).encoding a Cry1Ca crystal protein was mutagenized in a region corresponding to about amino acid residue 118 to about amino acid residue 124 of the Cry1Ca protein (SEQ ID NO:10). The modified Cry1Ca* resulting from the mutagenesis was termed, Cry1C.579.

In a third illustrative embodiment, a nucleic acid segment (SEQ ID NO:11).encoding a Cry1Ca crystal protein was mutagenized in a region corresponding to about amino acid residue 118 to about amino acid residue 124 of the Cry1Ca protein (SEQ ID NO:12). The modified Cry1Ca* resulting from the mutagenesis was termed, Cry1C.499.

The means for mutagenizing a DNA segment encoding a crystal protein having one or more loop regions in its amino acid sequence are well-known to those of skill in the art. Modifications to such loop regions may be made by random, or site-specific mutagenesis procedures. The loop region may be modified by altering its structure through the addition or deletion of one or more nucleotides from the sequence which encodes the corresponding unmodified loop region.

Mutagenesis may be performed in accordance with any of the techniques known in the art such as and not limited to synthesizing an oligonucleotide having one or more mutations within the sequence of a particular crystal protein. A "suitable host" is any host which will express Cry, such as and not limited to Bacillus thuringiensis and Escherichia coli. Screening for insecticidal activity, in the case of Cry1C includes and is not limited to lepidopteran-toxic activity which may be screened for by techniques known in the art.

In particular, site-specific mutagenesis is a technique useful in the preparation of individual peptides, or biologically functional equivalent proteins or peptides, through specific mutagenesis of the underlying DNA. The technique further provides a ready ability to prepare and test sequence variants, for example, incorporating one or more of the foregoing considerations, by introducing one or more nucleotide sequence changes into the DNA. Site-specific mutagenesis allows the production of mutants through the use of specific oligonucleotide sequences which encode the DNA sequence of the desired mutation, as well as a sufficient number of adjacent nucleotides, to provide a primer sequence of sufficient size and sequence complexity to form a stable duplex on both sides of the deletion junction being traversed. Typically, a primer of about 17 to about 75 nucleotides or more in length is preferred, with about 10 to about 25 or more residues on both sides of the junction of the sequence being altered.

In general, the technique of site-specific mutagenesis is well known in the art, as exemplified by various publications. As will be appreciated, the technique typically employs a phage vector which exists in both a single stranded and double stranded form. Typical vectors useful in site-directed mutagenesis include vectors such as the M13 phage. These phage are readily commercially available and their use is generally well known to those skilled in the art. Double stranded plasmids are also routinely employed in site directed mutagenesis which eliminates the step of transferring the gene of interest from a plasmid to a phage.

In general, site-directed mutagenesis in accordance herewith is performed by first obtaining a single-stranded vector or melting apart of two strands of a double stranded vector which includes within its sequence a DNA sequence which encodes the desired peptide. An oligonucleotide primer bearing the desired mutated sequence is prepared, generally synthetically. This primer is then annealed with the single-stranded vector, and subjected to DNA polymerizing enzymes such as E. coli polymerase I Klenow fragment, in order to complete the synthesis of the mutation-bearing strand. Thus, a heteroduplex is formed wherein one strand encodes the original non-mutated sequence and the second strand bears the desired mutation. This heteroduplex vector is then used to transform or transfect appropriate cells, such as E. coli cells, and clones are selected which include recombinant vectors bearing the mutated sequence arrangement. A genetic selection scheme was devised by Kunkel et al. (1987) to enrich for clones incorporating the mutagenic oligonucleotide. Alternatively, the use of PCR™ with commercially available thermostable enzymes such as Taq polymerase may be used to incorporate a mutagenic oligonucleotide primer into an amplified DNA fragment that can then be cloned into an appropriate cloning or expression vector. The PCR™-mediated mutagenesis procedures of Tomic et al. (1990) and Upender et al. (1995) provide two examples of such protocols. A PCR™ employing a thermostable ligase in addition to a thermostable polymerase may also be used to incorporate a phosphorylated mutagenic oligonucleotide into an amplified DNA fragment that may then be cloned into an appropriate cloning or expression vector. The mutagenesis procedure described by Michael (1994) provides an example of one such protocol.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis may be used to insert or delete amino acid residues within a loop region. For instance, this mutagenic oligonucleotide could be used to delete a proline residue (P120) within loop α 3-4 of the Cry1C protein from EG6346 or aizawai strain 7.29:

The preparation of sequence variants of the selected peptide-encoding DNA segments using site-directed mutagenesis is provided as a means of producing potentially useful species and is not meant to be limiting as there are other ways in which sequence variants of peptides and the DNA sequences encoding them may be obtained. For example, recombinant vectors encoding the desired peptide sequence may be treated with mutagenic agents, such as hydroxylamine, to obtain sequence variants.

As used herein, the term "oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis procedure" refers to template-dependent processes and vector-mediated propagation which result in an increase in the concentration of a specific nucleic acid molecule relative to its initial concentration, or in an increase in the concentration of a detectable signal, such as amplification. As used herein, the term "oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis procedure" is intended to refer to a process that involves the template-dependent extension of a primer molecule. The term template dependent process refers to nucleic acid synthesis of an RNA or a DNA molecule wherein the sequence of the newly synthesized strand of nucleic acid is dictated by the well-known rules of complementary base pairing (see, for example, Watson, 1987). Typically, vector mediated methodologies involve the introduction of the nucleic acid fragment into a DNA or RNA vector, the clonal amplification of the vector, and the recovery of the amplified nucleic acid fragment. Examples of such methodologies are provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,224, specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

A number of template dependent processes are available to amplify the target sequences of interest present in a sample. One of the best known amplification methods is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR™) which is described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195, 4,683,202 and 4,800,159, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Briefly, in PCR™, two primer sequences are prepared which are complementary to regions on opposite complementary strands of the target sequence. An excess of deoxynucleoside triphosphates are added to a reaction mixture along with a DNA polymerase (e.g., Taq polymerase). If the target sequence is present in a sample, the primers will bind to the target and the polymerase will cause the primers to be extended along the target sequence by adding on nucleotides. By raising and lowering the temperature of the reaction mixture, the extended primers will dissociate from the target to form reaction products, excess primers will bind to the target and to the reaction products and the process is repeated. Preferably a reverse transcriptase PCR™ amplification procedure may be performed in order to quantify the amount of mRNA amplified. Polymerase chain reaction methodologies are well known in the art.

Another method for amplification is the ligase chain reaction (referred to as LCR), disclosed in Eur. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 320,308, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In LCR, two complementary probe pairs are prepared, and in the presence of the target sequence, each pair will bind to opposite complementary strands of the target such that they abut. In the presence of a ligase, the two probe pairs will link to form a single unit. By temperature cycling, as in PCR™, bound ligated units dissociate from the target and then serve as "target sequences" for ligation of excess probe pairs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,750, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes an alternative method of amplification similar to LCR for binding probe pairs to a target sequence.

Qbeta Replicase, described in PCT Intl. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. PCT/US87/00880, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may also be used as still another amplification method in the present invention. In this method, a replicative sequence of RNA which has a region complementary to that of a target is added to a sample in the presence of an RNA polymerase. The polymerase will copy the replicative sequence which can then be detected.

An isothermal amplification method, in which restriction endonucleases and ligases are used to achieve the amplification of target molecules that contain nucleotide 5'-[α-thio]triphosphates in one strand of a restriction site (Walker et al., 1992, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), may also be useful in the amplification of nucleic acids in the present invention.

Strand Displacement Amplification (SDA) is another method of carrying out isothermal amplification of nucleic acids which involves multiple rounds of strand displacement and synthesis, i.e. nick translation. A similar method, called Repair Chain Reaction (RCR) is another method of amplification which may be useful in the present invention and is involves annealing several probes throughout a region targeted for amplification, followed by a repair reaction in which only two of the four bases are present. The other two bases can be added as biotinylated derivatives for easy detection. A similar approach is used in SDA.

Sequences can also be detected using a cyclic probe reaction (CPR). In CPR, a probe having a 3' and 5' sequences of non-Cry1C specific DNA and middle sequence of Cry1C protein specific RNA is hybridized to DNA which is present in a sample. Upon hybridization, the reaction is treated with RNaseH, and the products of the probe identified as distinctive products generating a signal which are released after digestion. The original template is annealed to another cycling probe and the reaction is repeated. Thus, CPR involves amplifying a signal generated by hybridization of a probe to a cry1C specific expressed nucleic acid.

Still other amplification methods described in Great Britain Pat. Appl. No. 2 202 328, and in PCT Intl. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. PCT/US89/01025, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be used in accordance with the present invention. In the former application, "modified" primers are used in a PCR like, template and enzyme dependent synthesis. The primers may be modified by labeling with a capture moiety (e.g., biotin) and/or a detector moiety (e.g., enzyme). In the latter application, an excess of labeled probes are added to a sample. In the presence of the target sequence, the probe binds and is cleaved catalytically. After cleavage, the target sequence is released intact to be bound by excess probe. Cleavage of the labeled probe signals the presence of the target sequence.

Other nucleic acid amplification procedures include transcription-based amplification systems (TAS) (Kwoh et al., 1989; PCT Intl. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 88/10315, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), including nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) and 3SR. In NASBA, the nucleic acids can be prepared for amplification by standard phenol/chloroform extraction, heat denaturation of a sample, treatment with lysis buffer and minispin columns for isolation of DNA and RNA or guanidinium chloride extraction of RNA. These amplification techniques involve annealing a primer which has crystal protein-specific sequences. Following polymerization, DNA/RNA hybrids are digested with RNase H while double stranded DNA molecules are heat denatured again. In either case the single stranded DNA is made fully double stranded by addition of second crystal protein-specific primer, followed by polymerization. The double stranded DNA molecules are then multiply transcribed by a polymerase such as T7 or SP6. In an isothermal cyclic reaction, the RNAs are reverse transcribed into double stranded DNA, and transcribed once against with a polymerase such as T7 or SP6. The resulting products, whether truncated or complete, indicate crystal protein-specific sequences.

Eur. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 329,822, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, disclose a nucleic acid amplification process involving cyclically synthesizing single-stranded RNA ("ssRNA"), ssDNA, and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which may be used in accordance with the present invention. The ssRNA is a first template for a first primer oligonucleotide, which is elongated by reverse transcriptase (RNA-dependent DNA polymerase). The RNA is then removed from resulting DNA:RNA duplex by the action of ribonuclease H (RNase H, an RNase specific for RNA in a duplex with either DNA or RNA). The resultant ssDNA is a second template for a second primer, which also includes the sequences of an RNA polymerase promoter (exemplified by T7 RNA polymerase) 5' to its homology to its template. This primer is then extended by DNA polymerase (exemplified by the large "Klenow" fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I), resulting as a double-stranded DNA ("dsDNA") molecule, having a sequence identical to that of the original RNA between the primers and having additionally, at one end, a promoter sequence. This promoter sequence can be used by the appropriate RNA polymerase to make many RNA copies of the DNA. These copies can then re-enter the cycle leading to very swift amplification. With proper choice of enzymes, this amplification can be done isothermally without addition of enzymes at each cycle. Because of the cyclical nature of this process, the starting sequence can be chosen to be in the form of either DNA or RNA.

PCT Intl. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 89/06700, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, disclose a nucleic acid sequence amplification scheme based on the hybridization of a promoter/primer sequence to a target single-stranded DNA ("ssDNA") followed by transcription of many RNA copies of the sequence. This scheme is not cyclic; i.e. new templates are not produced from the resultant RNA transcripts. Other amplification methods include "RACE" (Frohman, 1990), and "one-sided PCR" (Ohara, 1989) which are well-known to those of skill in the art.

Methods based on ligation of two (or more) oligonucleotides in the presence of nucleic acid having the sequence of the resulting "di-oligonucleotide", thereby amplifying the di-oligonucleotide (Wu and Dean,1996, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), may also be used in the amplification of DNA sequences of the present invention.

2.6 Phage-Resistant Variants

To prepare phage resistant variants of the B. thuringiensis mutants, an aliquot of the phage lysate is spread onto nutrient agar and allowed to dry. An aliquot of the phage sensitive bacterial strain is then plated directly over the dried lysate and allowed to dry. The plates are incubated at 30° C. The plates are incubated for 2 days and, at that time, numerous colonies could be seen growing on the agar. Some of these colonies are picked and subcultured onto nutrient agar plates. These apparent resistant cultures are tested for resistance by cross streaking with the phage lysate. A line of the phage lysate is streaked on the plate and allowed to dry. The presumptive resistant cultures are then streaked across the phage line. Resistant bacterial cultures show no lysis anywhere in the streak across the phage line after overnight incubation at 30° C. The resistance to phage is then reconfirmed by plating a lawn of the resistant culture onto a nutrient agar plate. The sensitive strain is also plated in the same manner to serve as the positive control. After drying, a drop of the phage lysate is plated in the center of the plate and allowed to dry. Resistant cultures showed no lysis in the area where the phage lysate has been placed after incubation at 30° C. for 24 hours.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides methods for producing a transgenic plant which expresses a nucleic acid segment encoding the novel recombinant crystal proteins of the present invention. The process of producing transgenic plants is well-known in the art. In general, the method comprises transforming a suitable host cell with one or more DNA segments which contain one or more promoters operatively linked to a coding region that encodes one or more of the novel B. thuringiensis Cry1C-R148A, Cry1C-R148G, Cry1C-R148M, Cry1C-R148L, Cry1C-R180A, Cry1C-R148D, Cry1C.499, Cry1C563 and Cry1C.579 crystal proteins. Such a coding region is generally operatively linked to a transcription-terminating region, whereby the promoter is capable of driving the transcription of the coding region in the cell, and hence providing the cell the ability to produce the recombinant protein in vivo. Alternatively, in instances where it is desirable to control, regulate, or decrease the amount of a particular recombinant crystal protein expressed in a particular transgenic cell, the invention also provides for the expression of crystal protein antisense mRNA. The use of antisense mRNA as a means of controlling or decreasing the amount of a given protein of interest in a cell is well-known in the art.

Another aspect of the invention comprises a transgenic plant which express a gene or gene segment encoding one or more of the novel polypeptide compositions disclosed herein. As used herein, the term "transgenic plant" is intended to refer to a plant that has incorporated DNA sequences, including but not limited to genes which are perhaps not normally present, DNA sequences not normally transcribed into RNA or translated into a protein ("expressed"), or any other genes or DNA sequences which one desires to introduce into the non-transformed plant, such as genes which may normally be present in the non-transformed plant but which one desires to either genetically engineer or to have altered expression.

It is contemplated that in some instances the genome of a transgenic plant of the present invention will have been augmented through the stable introduction of one or more Cry1C-R148A-, Cry1C-R148D-, Cry1C-R148G, Cry1C-R148M, Cry1C-R148L, Cry1C-R180A- Cry1C.499-, Cry1C.563-, or Cry1C.579-encoding transgenes, either native, synthetically modified, or mutated. In some instances, more than one transgene will be incorporated into the genome of the transformed host plant cell. Such is the case when more than one crystal protein-encoding DNA segment is incorporated into the genome of such a plant In certain situations, it may be desirable to have one, two, three, four, or even more B. thuringiensis crystal proteins (either native or recombinantly-engineered) incorporated and stably expressed in the transformed transgenic plant

A preferred gene which may be introduced includes, for example, a crystal protein-encoding a DNA sequence from bacterial origin, and particularly one or more of those described herein which are obtained from Bacillus spp. Highly preferred nucleic acid sequences are those obtained from B. thuringiensis, or any of those sequences which have been genetically engineered to decrease or increase the insecticidal activity of the crystal protein in such a transformed host cell.

Means for transforming a plant cell and the preparation of a transgenic cell line are well-known in the art, and are discussed herein. Vectors, plasmids, cosmids, YACs (yeast artificial chromosomes) and DNA segments for use in transforming such cells will, of course, generally comprise either the operons, genes, or gene-derived sequences of the present invention, either native, or synthetically-derived, and particularly those encoding the disclosed crystal proteins. These DNA constructs can further include structures such as promoters, enhancers, polylinkers, or even gene sequences which have positively- or negatively-regulating activity upon the particular genes of interest as desired. The DNA segment or gene may encode either a native or modified crystal protein, which will be expressed in the resultant recombinant cells, and/or which will impart an improved phenotype to the regenerated plant.

Such transgenic plants may be desirable for increasing the insecticidal resistance of a monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plant, by incorporating into such a plant, a transgenic DNA segment encoding a Cry1C-R148A, Cry1C-R148D, Cry1C-R148G, Cry1C-R148L, Cry1C-R148M, Cry1C-R180A, Cry1C.499, Cry1C.563, and/or Cry1C.579 crystal protein which is toxic to lepidopteran insects. Particularly preferred plants include grains such as corn, wheat, barley, maize, and oats; legumes such as soybeans; cotton; turf and pasture grasses; ornamental plants; shrubs; trees; vegetables, berries, fruits, and other commercially-important crops including garden and houseplants.

In a related aspect, the present invention also encompasses a seed produced by the transformed plant, a progeny from such seed, and a seed produced by the progeny of the original transgenic plant, produced in accordance with the above process. Such progeny and seeds will have one or more crystal protein transgene(s) stably incorporated into its genome, and such progeny plants will inherit the traits afforded by the introduction of a stable transgene in Mendelian fashion. All such transgenic plants having incorporated into their genome transgenic DNA segments encoding one or more Cry1C-R148A, Cry1C-R148D, Cry1C-R148G, Cry1C-R148M, Cry1C-R148L, Cry1C-R180A, Cry1C.499, Cry1C.563 or Cry1C.579 crystal proteins or polypeptides are aspects of this invention. Particularly preferred transgenes for the practice of the invention include nucleic acid segments comprising one or more cry1C-R148A, cry1C-R148D, cry1C-R148G, cry1C-R148M, cry1C-R148L, cry1C-R180A, cry1C.499, cry1C.563 or cry1C.579 gene(s).

2.8 Crystal Protein Compositions As Insecticides and Methods of Use

The inventors contemplate that the crystal protein compositions disclosed herein will find particular utility as insecticides for topical and/or systemic application to field crops, grasses, fruits and vegetables, and ornamental plants.

The insecticide comprises a Bacillus thuringiensis NRRL B-21590, NRRL B-21591, NRRL B-21592, NRRL B-21638, NRRL B-21639, NRRL B-21640, NRRL B-21609, or NRRL B-21610 cell, or a culture of these cells, or a mixture of one or more B. thuringiensis cells which express one or more of the novel crystal proteins of the invention. In certain aspects it may be desirable to prepare compositions which contain a plurality of crystal proteins, either native or modified, for treatment of one or more types of susceptible insects.

The inventors contemplate that any formulation methods known to those of skill in the art may be employed using the proteins disclosed herein to prepare such bioinsecticide compositions. It may be desirable to formulate whole cell preparations, cell extracts, cell suspensions, cell homogenates, cell lysates, cell supernatants, cell filtrates, or cell pellets of a cell culture (preferably a bacterial cell culture such as a Bacillus thuringiensis NRRL B-21590, NRRL B-21591, NRRL B-21592, NRRL B-21638, NRRL B-21639, NRRL B-21640, NRRL B-21609, or NRRL B-21610 culture) that expresses one or more cry1C* DNA segments to produce the encoded Cry1C* protein(s) or peptide(s). The methods for preparing such formulations are known to those of skill in the art, and may include, e.g., desiccation, lyophilization, homogenization, extraction, filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation, or concentration of one or more cultures of bacterial cells, such as Bacillus NRRL B-21590, NRRL B-21591, NRRL B-21592, NRRL B-21638, NRRL B-21639, NRRL B-21640, NRRL B-21609, or NRRL B-21610 cells, which express the Cry1C* peptide(s) of interest.

In one preferred embodiment, the bioinsecticide composition comprises an oil flowable suspension comprising lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, or crystals which contain one or more of the novel crystal proteins disclosed herein. Preferably the cells are B. thuringiensis cells, however, any such bacterial host cell expressing the novel nucleic acid segments disclosed herein and producing a crystal protein is contemplated to be useful, such as Bacillus spp., including B. megaterium, B. subtilis; B. cereus, Escherichia spp., including E. coli, and/or Pseudomonas spp., including P. cepacia, P. aeruginosa, and P. fluorescens. Alternatively, the oil flowable suspension may consist of a combination of one or more of the following compositions: lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, crystals, and/or purified crystal proteins.

In a second preferred embodiment, the bioinsecticide composition comprises a water dispersible granule or powder. This granule or powder may comprise lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, or crystals which contain one or more of the novel crystal proteins disclosed herein. Preferred sources for these compositions include bacterial cells such as B. thuringiensis cells, however, bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Escherichia, and Pseudomonas which have been transformed with a DNA segment disclosed herein and expressing the crystal protein are also contemplated to be useful. Alternatively, the granule or powder may consist of a combination of one or more of the following compositions: lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, crystals, and/or purified crystal proteins.

In a third important embodiment, the bioinsecticide composition comprises a wettable powder, spray, emulsion, colloid, aqueous or organic solution, dust, pellet, or collodial concentrate. Such a composition may contain either unlysed or lysed bacterial cells, spores, crystals, or cell extracts as described above, which contain one or more of the novel crystal proteins disclosed herein. Preferred bacterial cells are B. thuringiensis cells, however, bacteria such as B. megatenum, B. subtilis, B. cereus, E. coli, or Pseudomonas spp. cells transformed with a DNA segment disclosed herein and expressing the crystal protein are also contemplated to be useful. Such dry forms of the insecticidal compositions may be formulated to dissolve immediately upon wetting, or alternatively, dissolve in a controlled-release, sustained-release, or other time-dependent manner. Alternatively, such a composition may consist of a combination of one or more of the following compositions: lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, crystals, and/or purified crystal proteins.

In a fourth important embodiment, the bioinsecticide composition comprises an aqueous solution or suspension or cell culture of lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, crystals, or a mixture of lysed or unlysed bacterial cells, spores, and/or crystals, such as those described above which contain one or more of the novel crystal proteins disclosed herein. Such aqueous solutions or suspensions may be provided as a concentrated stock solution which is diluted prior to application, or alternatively, as a diluted solution ready-to-apply.

For these methods involving application of bacterial cells, the cellular host containing the Crystal protein gene(s) may be grown in any convenient nutrient medium, where the DNA construct provides a selective advantage, providing for a selective medium so that substantially all or all of the cells retain the B. thuringiensis gene. These cells may then be harvested in accordance with conventional ways. Alternatively, the cells can be treated prior to harvesting.

When the insecticidal compositions comprise B. thuringiensis cells, spores, and/or crystals containing the modified crystal protein(s) of interest, such compositions may be formulated in a variety of ways. They may be employed as wettable powders, granules or dusts, by mixing with various inert materials, such as inorganic minerals (phyllosilicates, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and the like) or botanical materials (powdered corncobs, rice hulls, walnut shells, and the like). The formulations may include spreader-sticker adjuvants, stabilizing agents, other pesticidal additives, or surfactants. Liquid formulations may be aqueous-based or non-aqueous and employed as foams, suspensions, emulsifiable concentrates, or the like. The ingredients may include rheological agents, surfactants, emulsifiers, dispersants, or polymers.

Alternatively, the novel Cry1C-derived mutated crystal proteins may be prepared by native or recombinant bacterial expression systems in vitro and isolated for subsequent field application. Such protein may be either in crude cell lysates, suspensions, colloids, etc., or alternatively may be purified, refined, buffered, and/or further processed, before formulating in an active biocidal formulation. Likewise, under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to isolate crystals and/or spores from bacterial cultures expressing the crystal protein and apply solutions, suspensions, or collodial preparations of such crystals and/or spores as the active bioinsecticidal composition.

Another important aspect of the invention is a method of controlling lepidopteran insects which are susceptible to the novel compositions disclosed herein. Such a method generally comprises contacting the insect or insect population, colony, etc., with an insecticidally-effective amount of a Cry1C* crystal protein composition. The method may utilize Cry1C* crystal proteins such as those disclosed in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, or SEQ ID NO:12, or biologically functional equivalents thereof. Alternatively, the method may utilize one or more Cry1C* crystal proteins which are encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11, or by one or more nucleic acid sequences which hybridize to the sequences of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11, under conditions of moderate, or higher, stringency. The methods for identifying sequences which hybridize to those disclosed under conditions of moderate or higher stringency are well-known to those of skill in the art, and are discussed herein.

Regardless of the method of application, the amount of the active component(s) are applied at an insecticidally-effective amount, which will vary depending on such factors as, for example, the specific lepidopteran insects to be controlled, the specific plant or crop to be treated, the environmental conditions, and the method, rate, and quantity of application of the insecticidally-active composition.

The insecticide compositions described may be made by formulating either the bacterial cell, crystal and/or spore suspension, or isolated protein component with the desired agriculturally-acceptable carrier. The compositions may be formulated prior to administration in an appropriate means such as lyophilized, freeze-dried, dessicated, or in an aqueous carrier, medium or suitable diluent, such as saline or other buffer. The formulated compositions may be in the form of a dust or granular material, or a suspension in oil (vegetable or mineral), or water or oil/water emulsions, or as a wettable powder, or in combination with any other carrier material suitable for agricultural application. Suitable agricultural carriers can be solid or liquid and are well known in the art. The term "agriculturally-acceptable carrier" covers all adjuvants, e.g., inert components, dispersants, surfactants, tackifiers, binders, etc. that are ordinarily used in insecticide formulation technology, these are well known to those skilled in insecticide formulation. The formulations may be mixed with one or more solid or liquid adjuvants and prepared by various means, e.g., by homogeneously mixing, blending and/or grinding the insecticidal composition with suitable adjuvants using conventional formulation techniques.

The insecticidal compositions of this invention are applied to the environment of the target lepidopteran insect, typically onto the foliage of the plant or crop to be protected, by conventional methods, preferably by spraying. The strength and duration of insecticidal application will be set with regard to conditions specific to the particular pest(s), crop(s) to be treated and particular environmental conditions. The proportional ratio of active ingredient to carrier will naturally depend on the chemical nature, solubility, and stability of the insecticidal composition, as well as the particular formulation contemplated.

Other application techniques, e.g., dusting, sprinkling, soaking, soil injection, seed coating, seedling coating, spraying, aerating, misting, atomizing, and the like, are also feasible and may be required under certain circumstances such as e.g., insects that cause root or stalk infestation, or for application to delicate vegetation or ornamental plants. These application procedures are also well-known to those of skill in the art

The insecticidal composition of the invention may be employed in the method of the invention singly or in combination with other compounds, including and not limited to other pesticides. The method of the invention may also be used in conjunction with other treatments such as surfactants, detergents, polymers or time-release formulations. The insecticidal compositions of the present invention may be formulated for either systemic or topical use.

The concentration of insecticidal composition which is used for environmental, systemic, or foliar application will vary widely depending upon the nature of the particular formulation, means of application, environmental conditions, and degree of biocidal activity. Typically, the bioinsecticidal composition will be present in the applied formulation at a concentration of at least about 1% by weight and may be up to and including about 99% by weight. Dry formulations of the compositions may be from about 1% to about 99% or more by weight of the composition, while liquid formulations may generally comprise from about 1% to about 99% or more of the active ingredient by weight. Formulations which comprise intact bacterial cells will generally contain from about 104 to about 1012 cells/mg.

The insecticidal formulation may be administered to a particular plant or target area in one or more applications as needed, with a typical field application rate per hectare ranging on the order of from about 1 g to about 1 kg, 2 kg, 5, kg, or more of active ingredient.

2.9 Biological Functional Equivalents

Modification and changes may be made in the structure of the peptides of the present invention and DNA segments which encode them and still obtain a functional molecule that encodes a protein or peptide with desirable characteristics. The following is a discussion based upon changing the amino acids of a protein to create an equivalent, or even an improved, second-generation molecule. In particular embodiments of the invention, mutated crystal proteins are contemplated to be useful for increasing the insecticidal activity of the protein, and consequently increasing the insecticidal activity and/or expression of the recombinant transgene in a plant cell. The amino acid changes may be achieved by changing the codons of the DNA sequence, according to the codons given in TABLE 2.

For example, certain amino acids may be substituted for other amino acids in a protein structure without appreciable loss of interactive binding capacity with structures such as, for example, antigen-binding regions of antibodies or binding sites on substrate molecules. Since it is the interactive capacity and nature of a protein that defines that protein's biological functional activity, certain amino acid sequence substitutions can be made in a protein sequence, and, of course, its underlying DNA coding sequence, and nevertheless obtain a protein with like properties. It is thus contemplated by the inventors that various changes may be made in the peptide sequences of the disclosed compositions, or corresponding DNA sequences which encode said peptides without appreciable loss of their biological utility or activity.

In making such changes, the hydropathic index of amino acids may be considered. The importance of the hydropathic amino acid index in conferring interactive biologic function on a protein is generally understood in the art (Kyte and Doolittle, 1982, incorporate herein by reference). It is accepted that the relative hydropathic character of the amino acid contributes to the secondary structure of the resultant protein, which in turn defines the interaction of the protein with other molecules, for example, enzymes, substrates, receptors, DNA, antibodies, antigens, and the like.

It is known in the art that certain amino acids may be substituted by other amino acids having a similar hydropathic index or score and still result in a protein with similar biological activity, i.e., still obtain a biological functionally equivalent protein. In making such changes, the substitution of amino acids whose hydropathic indices are within ±2 is preferred, those which are within ±1 are particularly preferred, and those within ±0.5 are even more particularly preferred

It is also understood in the art that the substitution of like amino acids can be made effectively on the basis of hydrophilicity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,101, incorporated herein by reference, states that the greatest local average hydrophilicity of a protein, as governed by the hydrophilicity of its adjacent amino acids, correlates with a biological property of the protein.

It is understood that an amino acid can be substituted for another having a similar hydrophilicity value and still obtain a biologically equivalent, and in particular, an immunologically equivalent protein. In such changes, the substitution of amino acids whose hydrophilicity values are within ±2 is preferred, those which are within ±1 are particularly preferred, and those within ±0.5 are even more particularly preferred.

As outlined above, amino acid substitutions are generally therefore based on the relative similarity of the amino acid side-chain substituents, for example, their hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, charge, size, and the like. Exemplary substitutions which take various of the foregoing characteristics into consideration are well known to those of skill in the art and include: arginine and lysine; glutamate and aspartate; serine and threonine; glutamine and asparagine; and valine, leucine and isoleucine.

3. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 1. Schematic diagram of the Cry1C crystal protein from B. thuringiensis. α helices are depicted by the rectangles and are labeled according to the convention adopted by Li et al., (1991). Adopting the convention of Li et al., the present inventors have designated helix two as comprising two portions helix 2a and helix 2b.

FIGS. 4A & 4B. Depicted is a flow chart indicating the mutations contained within the cry1C gene encoded by pEG359 and the mutations contained within the cry1C.563, cry1C.579, and cry1C.499 genes generated by random mutagenesis.

Mutagenesis experiments with cry1 genes have failed to identify mutant crystal proteins with improved broad-spectrum insecticidal activity, that is, with improved toxicity towards a range of insect pest species. Since agricultural crops are typically threatened by more than one insect pest species at any given time, desirable mutant crystal proteins are preferably those that exhibit improvements in toxicity towards multiple insect pest species. Previous failures to identify such mutants may be attributed to the choice of sites targeted for mutagenesis. Sites within domain 2 and domain 3 have been the principal targets of previous Cry1 mutagenesis efforts, primarily because these domains are believed to be important for receptor binding and in determining insecticidal specificity (Aronson et al., 1995; Chen et al. 1993; de Maagd et al., 1996; Lee et al., 1992; Lee et al., 1995; Lu et al., 1994; Smedley and Ellar, 1996; Smith and Ellar, 1994; Rajamohan et al., 1995; Rajamohan et al., 1996).

In contrast, the present inventors reasoned that the toxicity of Cry1 proteins, and specifically the toxicity of the Cry1C protein, may be improved against a broader array of lepidopteran pests by targeting regions involved in ion channel function rather than regions of the molecule directly involved in receptor interactions, namely domains 2 and 3. Accordingly, the inventors opted to target regions within domain 1 of Cry1C for mutagenesis in the hopes of isolating Cry1C mutants with improved broad spectrum toxicity. Indeed, in the present invention, Cry1C mutants are described that show improved toxicity towards several lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera frugiperda, Trichoplusia ni, and Heliothis virescens, while maintaining excellent activity against Plutella xylostella.

At least one, and probably more than one, α helix of domain 1 is involved in the formation of ion channels and pores within the insect midgut epithelium (Gazit and Shai, 1993; Gazit and Shai, 1995). Rather than target for mutagenesis the sequences encoding the α helices of domain 1 as others have (Wu and Aronson, 1992; Aronson et al., 1995; Chen et al., 1995), the present inventors opted to target exclusively sequences encoding amino acid residues adjacent to or lying within the predicted loop regions of Cry1C that separate these α helices. Amino acid residues within these loop regions or amino acid residues capping the end of an α helix and lying adjacent to these loop regions may affect the spatial relationships among these α helices. Consequently, the substitution of these amino acid residues may result in subtle changes in tertiary structure, or even quaternary structure, that positively impact the function of the ion channel. Amino acid residues in the loop regions of domain 1 are exposed to the solvent and thus are available for various molecular interactions. Altering these amino acids could result in greater stability of the protein by eliminating or occluding protease-sensitive sites. Amino acid substitutions that change the surface charge of domain 1 could alter ion channel efficiency or alter interactions with the brush border membrane or with other portions of the toxin molecule, allowing binding or insertion to be more effective.

In mutating specific residues within these loop regions, the inventors were able to produce synthetic crystal proteins which retained or even enhanced insecticidal activity against lepidopteran insects.

According to this invention, base substitutions are made in cry1C codons in order to change the particular codons with the loop regions of the polypeptides, and particularly, in those loop regions between α-helices. As an illustrative embodiment, changes in three such amino acids within the loop region between α-helices 3 and 4 of domain 1 produced modified crystal proteins with enhanced insecticidal activity.

The insecticidal activity of a crystal protein ultimately dictates the level of crystal protein required for effective insect control. The potency of an insecticidal protein should be maximized as much as possible in order to provide for its economic and efficient utilization in the field. The increased potency of an insecticidal protein in a bioinsecticide formulation would be expected to improve the field performance of the bioinsecticide product. Alternatively, increased potency of an insecticidal protein in a bioinsecticide formulation may promote use of reduced amounts of bioinsecticide per unit area of treated crop, thereby allowing for more cost-effective use of the bioinsecticide product. When expressed in planta, the production of crystal proteins with improved insecticidal activity can be expected to improve plant resistance to susceptible insect pests.

The most effective crystal protein against the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is the Cry1C protein, yet the toxicity of this toxin towards S. exigua is ˜40-fold less than the toxicity of Cry1Ac towards the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, and ˜50-fold less than the toxicity of Cry1Ba towards the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lambert et al., 1996). Accordingly, there is a need to improve the toxicity of Cry1C towards S. exigua as well as towards other lepidopteran pests. Previously, site-directed mutagenesis was used to probe the function of two surface-exposed loop regions found in domain 2 of the Cry1C protein (Smith and Ellar, 1994). Although amino acid substitutions within domain 2 were found to affect insecticidal specificity, Cry1C mutants with improved insecticidal activity were not obtained.

In sharp contrast to the prior art which has focused on generating amino acid substitutions within the predicted α-helices of domain 1 in Cry1A, the novel mutagenesis strategies of the present invention focus on generating amino acid substitutions at positions near or within the predicted loop regions connecting the α-helices of domain 1. These loop regions are shown in the schematic of crystal protein domains shown in FIG. 1. In mutating specific residues within these loop regions, the inventors were able to produce synthetic crystal proteins which retained or possessed enhanced insecticidal activity against certain lepidopteran pests, including the beet armyworm, S. exigua.

According to this invention, base substitutions are made in cry1C codons in order to change the particular codons encoding amino acids within or near the predicted loop regions between the α-helices of domain 1. As an illustrative embodiment, changes in three such amino acids within the loop region between α-helices 3 and 4 of domain 1 produced modified crystal proteins with enhanced insecticidal activity (Cry1C.499, Cry1C.563, Cry1C.579). As a second illustrative embodiment, an alanine substitution for an arginine residue within or adjacent to the loop region between α-helices 4 and 5 produced a modified crystal protein with enhanced insecticidal activity (Cry1C-R148A). Although this substitution removes a potential trypsin-cleavage site within domain 1, trypsin digestion of this modified crystal protein revealed no difference in proteolytic stability from the native Cry1C protein. Furthermore, the R180A substitution in Cry1C (Cry1C-R180A) also removes a potential trypsin cleavage site in domain 1, yet this substitution has no effect on insecticidal activity. Thus, the steps in the Cry1C protein mode-of-action impacted by these amino acid substitutions have not been determined nor is it obvious what substitutions need to be made to improve insecticidal activity.

Many crystal proteins show significant amino acid sequence identity to the Cry1C amino acid sequence within domain 1, including proteins of the Cry1, Cry2, Cry3, Cry4, Cry5, Cry7, Cry8, Cry9, Cry10, Cry11, Cry12, Cry13, Cry14, and Cry16 classes defined by the new cry gene nomenclature (TABLE 1). Furthermore, the structures for CryIIIA (Cry3A) and CryIAa (Cry1Aa) show a remarkable conservation of protein tertiary structure (Grochulski et al., 1995). Thus, it is anticipated that the mutagenesis of codons encoding amino acids within or near the loop regions between the α-helices of domain 1 of these proteins may also result in the generation of improved insecticidal proteins. Indeed, an alignment of Cry1 amino acid sequences spanning the loop region between α-helices 4 and 5 reveals that several Cry1 proteins contain an arginine residue at the position homologous to R148 of Cry1C. Since the Cry1C R148A mutant exhibits improved toxicity towards a number of lepidopteran pests, the inventors contemplate that similar substitutions in these other Cry1 proteins will also yield improved insecticidal proteins.

The B. thuringiensis strains described herein may be cultured using standard known media and fermentation techniques. Upon completion of the fermentation cycle, the bacteria may be harvested by first separating the B. thuringiensis spores and crystals from the fermentation broth by means well known in the art. The recovered B. thuringiensis spores and crystals can be formulated into a wettable powder, a liquid concentrate, granules or other formulations by the addition of surfactants, dispersants, inert carriers and other components to facilitate handling and application for particular target pests. The formulation and application procedures are all well known in the art and are used with commercial strains of B. thuringiensis (HD-1) active against Lepidoptera, e.g., caterpillars.

4.3 Recombinant Host Cells For Expression of the Novel cry1C Genes

The nucleotide sequences of the subject invention can be introduced into a wide variety of microbial hosts. Expression of the toxin gene results, directly or indirectly, in the intracellular production and maintenance of the pesticide. With suitable hosts, e.g., Pseudomonas, the microbes can be applied to the sites of lepidopteran insects where they will proliferate and be ingested by the insects. The result is a control of the unwanted insects. Alternatively, the microbe hosting the toxin gene can be treated under conditions that prolong the activity of the toxin produced in the cell. The treated cell then can be applied to the environment of target pest(s). The resulting product retains the toxicity of the B. thuringiensis toxin.

Suitable host cells, where the pesticide-containing cells will be treated to prolong the activity of the toxin in the cell when the then treated cell is applied to the environment of target pest(s), may include either prokaryotes or eukaryotes, normally being limited to those cells which do not produce substances toxic to higher organisms, such as mammals. However, organisms which produce substances toxic to higher organisms could be used, where the toxin is unstable or the level of application sufficiently low as to avoid any possibility or toxicity to a mammalian host. As hosts, of particular interest will be the prokaryotes and the lower eukaryotes, such as fungi. Illustrative prokaryotes, both Gram-negative and Gram-positive, include Enterobacteriaceae, such as Escherichia, Erwinia, Shigella, Salmonella, and Proteus; Bacillaceae; Rhizobiceae, such as Rhizobium; Spirillaceae, such as photobacterium, Zymomonas, Serratia, Aeromonas, Vibrio, Desulfovibrio, Spirillum; Lactobacillaceae; Pseudomonadaceae, such as Pseudomonas and Acetobacter; Azotobacteraceae, Actinomycetales, and Nitrobacteraceae. Among eukaryotes are fungi, such as Phycomycetes and Ascomycetes, which includes yeast, such as Saccharomyces and Schizosaccharomyces; and Basidiomycetes yeast, such as Rhodotorula, Aureobasidiun, Sporobolomyces, and the like.

Characteristics of particular interest in selecting a host cell for purposes of production include ease of introducing the B. thuringiensis gene into the host, availability of expression systems, efficiency of expression, stability of the pesticide in the host, and the presence of auxiliary genetic capabilities. Characteristics of interest for use as a pesticide microcapsule include protective qualities for the pesticide, such as thick cell walls, pigmentation, and intracellular packaging or formation of inclusion bodies; leaf affinity; lack of mammalian toxicity, attractiveness to pests for ingestion; ease of killing and fixing without damage to the toxin; and the like. Other considerations include ease of formulation and handling, economics, storage stability, and the like.

Treatment of the microbial cell, e.g., a microbe containing the B. thuringiensis toxin gene, can be by chemical or physical means, or by a combination of chemical and/or physical means, so long as the technique does not deleteriously affect the properties of the toxin, nor diminish the cellular capability in protecting the toxin. Examples of chemical reagents are halogenating agents, particularly halogens of atomic no. 17-80. More particularly, iodine can be used under mild conditions and for sufficient time to achieve the desired results. Other suitable techniques include treatment with aldehydes, such as formaldehyde and glutaraldehye; anti-infectives, such as zephiran chloride and cetylpyridinium chloride; alcohols, such as isopropyl and ethanol; various histologic fixatives, such as Lugol's iodine, Bouin's fixative, and Helly's fixatives, (see e.g., Humason, 1967); or a combination of physical (heat) and chemical agents that preserve and prolong the activity of the toxin produced in the cell when the cell is administered to the host animal. Examples of physical means are short wavelength radiation such as γ-radiation and X-radiation, freezing, UV irradiation, lyophilization, and the like. The cells employed will usually be intact and be substantially in the proliferative form when treated, rather than in a spore form, although in some instances spores may be employed.

Where the B. thuringiensis toxin gene is introduced via a suitable vector into a microbial host, and said host is applied to the environment in a living state, it is essential that certain host microbes be used. Microorganism hosts are selected which are known to occupy the "phytosphere" (phylloplane, phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and/or rhizoplane) of one or more crops of interest. These microorganisms are selected so as to be capable of successfully competing in the particular environment (crop and other insect habitats) with the wild-type microorganisms, provide for stable maintenance and expression of the gene expressing the polypeptide pesticide, and, desirably, provide for improved protection of the pesticide from environmental degradation and inactivation.

As used herein, the designations "CryI" and "Cry1" are synonymous, as are the designations "CryIC" and "Cry1C." Likewise, the inventors have utilized the generic term Cry1C* to denote any and all Cry1C variants which comprise amino acid sequences modified in the loop region of domain 1. Similarly, cry1C* is meant to denote any and all nucleic acid segments and/or genes which encode such modified Cry1C* proteins. In similar regard, the inventors have used the terms Cry1* to denote any and all Cry1 variants which comprise amino acid sequences modified in the loop region of domain 1. Similarly, cry1* is meant to denote any and all nucleic acid segments and/or genes which encode such modified Cry1* proteins. A similar convention is used to described modified loop domain variants in any of the related crystal proteins and genes which encode them.

In accordance with the present invention, nucleic acid sequences include and are not limited to DNA (including and not limited to genomic or extragenomic DNA), genes, RNA (including and not limited to mRNA and tRNA), nucleosides, and suitable nucleic acid segments either obtained from native sources, chemically synthesized, modified, or otherwise prepared by the hand of man. The following words and phrases have the meanings set forth below.

Intraorder specificity: the toxicity of a particular crystal protein towards insect species within an Order of insects (e.g., Order Lepidoptera).

Interorder specificity: the toxicity of a particular crystal protein towards insect species of different Orders (e.g., Orders Lepidoptera and Diptera).

LC50 : the lethal concentration of crystal protein that causes 50% mortality of the insects treated.

LC95 : the lethal concentration of crystal protein that causes 95% mortality of the insects treated.

Promoter: A recognition site on a DNA sequence or group of DNA sequences that provide an expression control element for a structural gene and to which RNA polymerase specifically binds and initiates RNA synthesis (transcription) of that gene.

Regeneration: The process of growing a plant from a plant cell (e.g. plant protoplast or explant).

Structural gene: A gene that is expressed to produce a polypeptide.

Transformation: A process of introducing an exogenous DNA sequence (e.g., a vector, a recombinant DNA molecule) into a cell or protoplast in which that exogenous DNA is incorporated into a chromosome or is capable of autonomous replication.

Transformed cell: A cell whose DNA has been altered by the introduction of an exogenous DNA molecule into that cell.

Transgenic cell: Any cell derived or regenerated from a transformed cell or derived from a transgenic cell. Exemplary transgenic cells include plant calli derived from a transformed plant cell and particular cells such as leaf, root, stem, e.g., somatic cells, or reproductive (germ) cells obtained from a transgenic plant.

Transgenic plant: A plant or progeny thereof derived from a transformed plant cell or protoplast, wherein the plant DNA contains an introduced exogenous DNA molecule not originally present in a native, non-transgenic plant of the same strain. The terms "transgenic plant" and "transformed plant" have sometimes been used in the art as synonymous terms to define a plant whose DNA contains an exogenous DNA molecule. However, it is thought more scientifically correct to refer to a regenerated plant or callus obtained from a transformed plant cell or protoplast as being a transgenic plant, and that usage will be followed herein.

Vector: A DNA molecule capable of replication in a host cell and/or to which another DNA segment can be operatively linked so as to bring about replication of the attached segment. A plasmid is an exemplary vector.

4.5 Probes and Primers

In another aspect, DNA sequence information provided by the invention allows for the preparation of relatively short DNA (or RNA) sequences having the ability to specifically hybridize to gene sequences of the selected polynucleotides disclosed herein. In these aspects, nucleic acid probes of an appropriate length are prepared based on a consideration of a selected crystal protein gene sequence, e.g. a sequence such as that shown in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11. The ability of such nucleic acid probes to specifically hybridize to a crystal protein-encoding gene sequence lends them particular utility in a variety of embodiments. Most importantly, the probes may be used in a variety of assays for detecting the presence of complementary sequences in a given sample.

In certain embodiments, it is advantageous to use oligonucleotide primers. The sequence of such primers is designed using a polynucleotide of the present invention for use in detecting, amplifying or mutating a defined segment of a crystal protein gene from B. thuringiensis using PCR™ technology. Segments of related crystal protein genes from other species may also be amplified by PCR™ using such primers.

To provide certain of the advantages in accordance with the present invention, a preferred nucleic acid sequence employed for hybridization studies or assays includes sequences that are complementary to at least a 14 to 30 or so long nucleotide stretch of a crystal protein-encoding sequence, such as that shown in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11. A size of at least 14 nucleotides in length helps to ensure that the fragment will be of sufficient length to form a duplex molecule that is both stable and selective. Molecules having complementary sequences over stretches greater than 14 bases in length are generally preferred, though, in order to increase stability and selectivity of the hybrid, and thereby improve the quality and degree of specific hybrid molecules obtained. One will generally prefer to design nucleic acid molecules having gene-complementary stretches of 14 to 20 nucleotides, or even longer where desired. Such fragments may be readily prepared by, for example, directly synthesizing the fragment by chemical means, by application of nucleic acid reproduction technology, such as the PCR™ technology of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195, and 4,683,202, herein incorporated by reference, or by excising selected DNA fragments from recombinant plasmids containing appropriate inserts and suitable restriction sites.

A particularly preferred oligonucleotide is the 63-mer identified in SEQ ID NO:18. The oligonucleotide is particularly preferred for preparation of mutagenized nucleic acid sequences to produce toxins with improved properties. Mutagenic oligonucleotides may be prepared with known or random substitutions, by methods well-known to those of skill in the art. Such oligonucleotides may be provided by commercial firms that perform custom syntheses.

Accordingly, a nucleotide sequence of the invention can be used for its ability to selectively form duplex molecules with complementary stretches of the gene. Depending on the application envisioned, one will desire to employ varying conditions of hybridization to achieve varying degree of selectivity of the probe toward the target sequence. For applications requiring a high degree of selectivity, one will typically desire to employ relatively stringent conditions to form the hybrids, for example, one will select relatively low salt and/or high temperature conditions, such as provided by about 0.02 M to about 0.15 M NaCl at temperatures of about 50° C. to about 70° C. These conditions are particularly selective, and tolerate little, if any, mismatch between the probe and the template or target strand.

Of course, for some applications, for example, where one desires to prepare mutants employing a mutant primer strand hybridized to an underlying template or where one seeks to isolate a crystal protein-coding sequences for related species, functional equivalents, or the like, less stringent hybridization conditions will typically be needed in order to allow formation of the heteroduplex. In these circumstances, one may desire to employ conditions such as about 0.15 M to about 0.9 M salt, at temperatures ranging from about 20° C. to about 55° C. Cross-hybridizing species can thereby be readily identified as positively hybridizing signals with respect to control hybridizations. In any case, it is generally appreciated that conditions can be rendered more stringent by the addition of increasing amounts of formamide, which serves to destabilize the hybrid duplex in the same manner as increased temperature. Thus, hybridization conditions can be readily manipulated, and thus will generally be a method of choice depending on the desired results.

4.6 Expression Vectors

The present invention contemplates an expression vector comprising a polynucleotide of the present invention. Thus, in one embodiment an expression vector is an isolated and purified DNA molecule comprising a promoter operatively linked to an coding region that encodes a polypeptide of the present invention, which coding region is operatively linked to a transcription-terminating region, whereby the promoter drives the transcription of the coding region.

As used herein, the term "operatively linked" means that a promoter is connected to an coding region in such a way that the transcription of that coding region is controlled and regulated by that promoter. Means for operatively linking a promoter to a coding region are well known in the art.

In a preferred embodiment, the recombinant expression of DNAs encoding the crystal proteins of the present invention is preferable in a Bacillus host cell. Preferred host cells include B. thuringiensis, B. megaterium, B. cereus, B. subtilis, and related bacilli, with B. thuringiensis host cells being highly preferred. Promoters that function in bacteria are well-known in the art. An exemplary and preferred promoter for the Bacillus crystal proteins include any of the known crystal protein gene promoters, including native crystal protein encoding gene promoters. Alternatively, mutagenized or recombinant crystal protein-encoding gene promoters may be engineered by the hand of man and used to promote expression of the novel gene segments disclosed herein.

In an alternate embodiment, the recombinant expression of DNAs encoding the crystal proteins of the present invention is performed using a transformed Gram-negative bacterium such as an E. coli or Pseudomonas spp. host cell. Promoters which function in high-level expression of target polypeptides in E. coli and other Gram-negative host cells are also well-known in the art.

Where an expression vector of the present invention is to be used to transform a plant, a promoter is selected that has the ability to drive expression in plants. Promoters that function in plants are also well known in the art. Useful in expressing the polypeptide in plants are promoters that are inducible, viral, synthetic, constitutive as described (Poszkowski et al., 1989; Odell et al., 1985), and temporally regulated, spatially regulated, and spatio-temporally regulated (Chau et al., 1989).

A promoter is also selected for its ability to direct the transformed plant cell's or transgenic plant's transcriptional activity to the coding region. Structural genes can be driven by a variety of promoters in plant tissues. Promoters can be near-constitutive, such as the CaMV 35S promoter, or tissue-specific or developmentally specific promoters affecting dicots or monocots.

Where the promoter is a near-constitutive promoter such as CaMV 35S, increases in polypeptide expression are found in a variety of transformed plant tissues (e.g., callus, leaf, seed and root). Alternatively, the effects of transformation can be directed to specific plant tissues by using plant integrating vectors containing a tissue-specific promoter.

An exemplary tissue-specific promoter is the lectin promoter, which is specific for seed tissue. The Lectin protein in soybean seeds is encoded by a single gene (Le1) that is only expressed during seed maturation and accounts for about 2 to about 5% of total seed mRNA. The lectin gene and seed-specific promoter have been fully characterized and used to direct seed specific expression in transgenic tobacco plants (Vodkin et al., 1983; Lindstrom et al., 1990.)

An expression vector containing a coding region that encodes a polypeptide of interest is engineered to be under control of the lectin promoter and that vector is introduced into plants using, for example, a protoplast transformation method (Dhir et al., 1991). The expression of the polypeptide is directed specifically to the seeds of the transgenic plant.

A transgenic plant of the present invention produced from a plant cell transformed with a tissue specific promoter can be crossed with a second transgenic plant developed from a plant cell transformed with a different tissue specific promoter to produce a hybrid transgenic plant that shows the effects of transformation in more than one specific tissue.

The choice of which expression vector and ultimately to which promoter a polypeptide coding region is operatively linked depends directly on the functional properties desired, e.g., the location and timing of protein expression, and the host cell to be transformed. These are well known limitations inherent in the art of constructing recombinant DNA molecules. However, a vector useful in practicing the present invention is capable of directing the expression of the polypeptide coding region to which it is operatively linked.

Typical vectors useful for expression of genes in higher plants are well known in the art and include vectors derived from the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid of Agrobacterium tunefaciens described (Rogers et al., 1987). However, several other plant integrating vector systems are known to function in plants including pCaMVCN transfer control vector described (Fromm et al., 1985). Plasmid pCaMVCN (available from Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.) includes the cauliflower mosaic virus CaMV 35S promoter.

In preferred embodiments, the vector used to express the polypeptide includes a selection marker that is effective in a plant cell, preferably a drug resistance selection marker. One preferred drug resistance marker is the gene whose expression results in kanamycin resistance; i.e., the chimeric gene containing the nopaline synthase promoter, Tn5 neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) and nopaline synthase 3' non-translated region described (Rogers et al., 1988).

RNA polymerase transcribes a coding DNA sequence through a site where polyadenylation occurs. Typically, DNA sequences located a few hundred base pairs downstream of the polyadenylation site serve to terminate transcription. Those DNA sequences are referred to herein as transcription-termination regions. Those regions are required for efficient polyadenylation of transcribed messenger RNA (mRNA).

Means for preparing expression vectors are well known in the art. Expression (transformation vectors) used to transform plants and methods of making those vectors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,971,908, 4,940,835, 4,769,061 and 4,757,011, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Those vectors can be modified to include a coding sequence in accordance with the present invention.

A variety of methods has been developed to operatively link DNA to vectors via complementary cohesive termini or blunt ends. For instance, complementary homopolymer tracts can be added to the DNA segment to be inserted and to the vector DNA. The vector and DNA segment are then joined by hydrogen bonding between the complementary homopolymeric tails to form recombinant DNA molecules.

In addition to their use in directing the expression of crystal proteins or peptides of the present invention, the nucleic acid sequences contemplated herein also have a variety of other uses. For example, they also have utility as probes or primers in nucleic acid hybridization embodiments. As such, it is contemplated that nucleic acid segments that comprise a sequence region that consists of at least a 14 nucleotide long contiguous sequence that has the same sequence as, or is complementary to, a 14 nucleotide long contiguous DNA segment of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11 will find particular utility. Longer contiguous identical or complementary sequences, e.g., those of about 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000 etc. (including all intermediate lengths and up to and including full-length sequences will also be of use in certain embodiments.

The ability of such nucleic acid probes to specifically hybridize to crystal protein-encoding sequences will enable them to be of use in detecting the presence of complementary sequences in a given sample. However, other uses are envisioned, including the use of the sequence information for the preparation of mutant species primers, or primers for use in preparing other genetic constructions.

Nucleic acid molecules having sequence regions consisting of contiguous nucleotide stretches of 10-14, 15-20, 30, 50, or even of 100-200 nucleotides or so, identical or complementary to DNA sequences of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:11 are particularly contemplated as hybridization probes for use in, e.g., Southern and Northern blotting. Smaller fragments will generally find use in hybridization embodiments, wherein the length of the contiguous complementary region may be varied, such as between about 10-14 and about 100 or 200 nucleotides, but larger contiguous complementarity stretches may be used, according to the length complementary sequences one wishes to detect.

The use of a hybridization probe of about 14 nucleotides in length allows the formation of a duplex molecule that is both stable and selective. Molecules having contiguous complementary sequences over stretches greater than 14 bases in length are generally preferred, though, in order to increase stability and selectivity of the hybrid, and thereby improve the quality and degree of specific hybrid molecules obtained. One will generally prefer to design nucleic acid molecules having gene-complementary stretches of 15 to 20 contiguous nucleotides, or even longer where desired.

Of course, fragments may also be obtained by other techniques such as, e.g., by mechanical shearing or by restriction enzyme digestion. Small nucleic acid segments or fragments may be readily prepared by, for example, directly synthesizing the fragment by chemical means, as is commonly practiced using an automated oligonucleotide synthesizer. Also, fragments may be obtained by application of nucleic acid reproduction technology, such as the PCR™ technology of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195 and 4,683,202 (each incorporated herein by reference), by introducing selected sequences into recombinant vectors for recombinant production, and by other recombinant DNA techniques generally known to those of skill in the art of molecular biology.

Accordingly, the nucleotide sequences of the invention may be used for their ability to selectively form duplex molecules with complementary stretches of DNA fragments. Depending on the application envisioned, one will desire to employ varying conditions of hybridization to achieve varying degrees of selectivity of probe towards target sequence. For applications requiring high selectivity, one will typically desire to employ relatively stringent conditions to form the hybrids, e.g., one will select relatively low salt and/or high temperature conditions, such as provided by about 0.02 M to about 0.15 M NaCl at temperatures of about 50° C. to about 70° C. Such selective conditions tolerate little, if any, mismatch between the probe and the template or target strand, and would be particularly suitable for isolating crystal protein-encoding DNA segments. Detection of DNA segments via hybridization is well-known to those of skill in the art, and the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,188 and 5,176,995 (each incorporated herein by reference) are exemplary of the methods of hybridization analyses. Teachings such as those found in the texts of Maloy et al., 1994; Segal 1976; Prokop, 1991; and Kuby, 1994, are particularly relevant

Of course, for some applications, for example, where one desires to prepare mutants employing a mutant primer strand hybridized to an underlying template or where one seeks to isolate crystal protein-encoding sequences from related species, functional equivalents, or the like, less stringent hybridization conditions will typically be needed in order to allow formation of the heteroduplex. In these circumstances, one may desire to employ conditions such as about 0.15 M to about 0.9 M salt, at temperatures ranging from about 20° C. to about 55° C. Cross-hybridizing species can thereby be readily identified as positively hybridizing signals with respect to control hybridizations. In any case, it is generally appreciated that conditions can be rendered more stringent by the addition of increasing amounts of formamide, which serves to destabilize the hybrid duplex in the same manner as increased temperature. Thus, hybridization conditions can be readily manipulated, and thus will generally be a method of choice depending on the desired results.

In certain embodiments, it will be advantageous to employ nucleic acid sequences of the present invention in combination with an appropriate means, such as a label, for determining hybridization. A wide variety of appropriate indicator means are known in the art, including fluorescent, radioactive, enzymatic or other ligands, such as avidin/biotin, which are capable of giving a detectable signal. In preferred embodiments, one will likely desire to employ a fluorescent label or an enzyme tag, such as urease, alkaline phosphatase or peroxidase, instead of radioactive or other environmental undesirable reagents. In the case of enzyme tags, colorimetric indicator substrates are known that can be employed to provide a means visible to the human eye or spectrophotometrically, to identify specific hybridization with complementary nucleic acid-containing samples.

In general, it is envisioned that the hybridization probes described herein will be useful both as reagents in solution hybridization as well as in embodiments employing a solid phase. In embodiments involving a solid phase, the test DNA (or RNA) is adsorbed or otherwise affixed to a selected matrix or surface. This fixed, single-stranded nucleic acid is then subjected to specific hybridization with selected probes under desired conditions. The selected conditions will depend on the particular circumstances based on the particular criteria required (depending, for example, on the G+C content, type of target nucleic acid, source of nucleic acid, size of hybridization probe, etc.). Following washing of the hybridized surface so as to remove nonspecifically bound probe molecules, specific hybridization is detected, or even quantitated, by means of the label.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention discloses and claims a purified Cry1C-R148A protein. The Cry1C-R148A protein comprises an 1189-amino acid sequence, which is given in SEQ ID NO:2.

In a second embodiment, the invention discloses and claims a purified Cry1C-R148D protein. The Cry1C-R148D protein comprises an 1189-amino acid sequence, which is given in SEQ ID NO:4.

In a third embodiment, the invention discloses and claims a purified Cry1C-R180A protein. The Cry1C-R180A protein comprises an 1189-amino acid sequence, which is given in SEQ ID NO:6.

In a fourth embodiment, the invention discloses and claims a purified Cry1C.563 protein. The Cry1C.563 protein comprises an 1189-amino acid sequence, which is given in SEQ ID NO:8.

In a fifth embodiment, the invention discloses and claims a purified Cry1C.579 protein. The Cry1C.579 protein comprises an 1189-amino acid sequence, which is given in SEQ ID NO:10.

In a sixth embodiment, the invention discloses and claims a purified Cry1C.499 protein. The Cry1C.499 protein comprises an 1189-amino acid sequence, which is given in SEQ ID NO:12.

4.9 Nomenclature of the Novel Proteins

The inventors have arbitrarily assigned the designations Cry1C-R148A, Cry1C-R148D, Cry1C-R148L, Cry1C-R148M, Cry1C-R148G, Cry1C-R180A, Cry1C.563, Cry1C.579 and Cry1C.499 to the novel proteins of the invention. Likewise, the arbitrary designations of cry1C-R148A, cry1C-R148D, cry1C-R148L, cry1C-R148M, cry1C-R148G, cry1C-R180A, cry1C.563, cry1C.579 and cry1C.499 have been assigned to the novel nucleic acid sequences which encode these polypeptides, respectively. While formal assignment of gene and protein designations based on the revised nomenclature of crystal protein endotoxins (TABLE 1) may be made by the committee on the nomenclature of B. thuringiensis, any re-designations of the compositions of the present invention are also contemplated to be fully within the scope of the present disclosure.

4.10 Transformed Or Transgenic Plant Cells

A bacterium, a yeast cell, or a plant cell or a plant transformed with an expression vector of the present invention is also contemplated. A transgenic bacterium, yeast cell, plant cell or plant derived from such a transformed or transgenic cell is also contemplated. Means for transforming bacteria and yeast cells are well known in the art. Typically, means of transformation are similar to those well known means used to transform other bacteria or yeast such as E. coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Methods for DNA transformation of plant cells include Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation, protoplast transformation, gene transfer into pollen, injection into reproductive organs, injection into immature embryos and particle bombardment. Each of these methods has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Thus, one particular method of introducing genes into a particular plant strain may not necessarily be the most effective for another plant strain, but it is well known which methods are useful for a particular plant strain.

There are many methods for introducing transforming DNA segments into cells, but not all are suitable for delivering DNA to plant cells. Suitable methods are believed to include virtually any method by which DNA can be introduced into a cell, such as by Agrobacterium infection, direct delivery of DNA such as, for example, by PEG-mediated transformation of protoplasts (Omirulleh et al., 1993), by desiccation/inhibition-mediated DNA uptake, by electroporation, by agitation with silicon carbide fibers, by acceleration of DNA coated particles, etc. In certain embodiments, acceleration methods are preferred and include, for example, microprojectile bombardment and the like.

The application of brief, high-voltage electric pulses to a variety of animal and plant cells leads to the formation of nanometer-sized pores in the plasma membrane. DNA is taken directly into the cell cytoplasm either through these pores or as a consequence of the redistribution of membrane components that accompanies closure of the pores. Electroporation can be extremely efficient and can be used both for transient expression of clones genes and for establishment of cell lines that carry integrated copies of the gene of interest. Electroporation, in contrast to calcium phosphate-mediated transfection and protoplast fusion, frequently gives rise to cell lines that carry one, or at most a few, integrated copies of the foreign DNA.

The introduction of DNA by means of electroporation, is well-known to those of skill in the art. In this method, certain cell wall-degrading enzymes, such as pectin-degrading enzymes, are employed to render the target recipient cells more susceptible to transformation by electroporation than untreated cells. Alternatively, recipient cells are made more susceptible to transformation, by mechanical wounding. To effect transformation by electroporation one may employ either friable tissues such as a suspension culture of cells, or embryogenic callus, or alternatively, one may transform immature embryos or other organized tissues directly. One would partially degrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them to pectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wounding in a controlled manner. Such cells would then be recipient to DNA transfer by electroporation, which may be carried out at this stage, and transformed cells then identified by a suitable selection or screening protocol dependent on the nature of the newly incorporated DNA.

4.10.2 Microprojectile Bombardment

A further advantageous method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plant cells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles may be coated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propelling force. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten, gold, platinum, and the like.

An advantage of microprojectile bombardment, in addition to it being an effective means of reproducibly stably transforming monocots, is that neither the isolation of protoplasts (Cristou et al., 1988) nor the susceptibility to Agrobacterium infection is required. An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into maize cells by acceleration is a Biolistics Particle Delivery System, which can be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through a screen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a filter surface covered with corn cells cultured in suspension. The screen disperses the particles so that they are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates. It is believed that a screen intervening between the projectile apparatus and the cells to be bombarded reduces the size of projectiles aggregate and may contribute to a higher frequency of transformation by reducing damage inflicted on the recipient cells by projectiles that are too large.

For the bombardment, cells in suspension are preferably concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively, immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culture medium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriate distance below the macroprojectile stopping plate. If desired, one or more screens are also positioned between the acceleration device and the cells to be bombarded. Through the use of techniques set forth herein one may obtain up to 1000 or more foci of cells transiently expressing a marker gene. The number of cells in a focus which express the exogenous gene product 48 hours post-bombardment often range from 1 to 10 and average 1 to 3.

In bombardment transformation, one may optimize the prebombardment culturing conditions and the bombardment parameters to yield the maximum numbers of stable transformants. Both the physical and biological parameters for bombardment are important in this technology. Physical factors are those that involve manipulating the DNA/microprojectile precipitate or those that affect the flight and velocity of either the macro- or microprojectiles. Biological factors include all steps involved in manipulation of cells before and immediately after bombardment, the osmotic adjustment of target cells to help alleviate the trauma associated with bombardment, and also the nature of the transforming DNA, such as linearized DNA or intact supercoiled plasmids. It is believed that pre-bombardment manipulations are especially important for successful transformation of immature embryos.

Accordingly, it is contemplated that one may wish to adjust various of the bombardment parameters in small scale studies to fully optimize the conditions. One may particularly wish to adjust physical parameters such as gap distance, flight distance, tissue distance, and helium pressure. One may also minimize the trauma reduction factors (TRFs) by modifying conditions which influence the physiological state of the recipient cells and which may therefore influence transformation and integration efficiencies. For example, the osmotic state, tissue hydration and the subculture stage or cell cycle of the recipient cells may be adjusted for optimum transformation. The execution of other routine adjustments will be known to those of skill in the art in light of the present disclosure.

4.10.3 Agrobacterium-Mediated Transfer

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is a widely applicable system for introducing genes into plant cells because the DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassing the need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. The use of Agrobacterium-mediated plant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is well known in the art. See, for example, the methods described (Fraley et al., 1985; Rogers et al., 1987). Further, the integration of the Ti-DNA is a relatively precise process resulting in few rearrangements. The region of DNA to be transferred is defined by the border sequences, and intervening DNA is usually inserted into the plant genome as described (Spielmann et al., 1986; Jorgensen et al., 1987).

Modern Agrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E. coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations as described (Klee et al., 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate construction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described (Rogers et al., 1987), have convenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptide coding genes and are suitable for present purposes. In addition, Agrobacterium containing both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used for the transformations. In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is efficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and defined nature of the gene transfer.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of leaf disks and other tissues such as cotyledons and hypocotyls appears to be limited to plants that Agrobacterium naturally infects. Agrobacterium-mediated -transformation is most efficient in dicotyledonous plants. Few monocots appear to be natural hosts for Agrobacterium, although transgenic plants have been produced in asparagus using Agrobacterium vectors as described (Bytebier et al., 1987). Therefore, commercially important cereal grains such as rice, corn, and wheat must usually be transformed using alternative methods. However, as mentioned above, the transformation of asparagus using Agrobacterium can also be achieved (see, for example, Bytebier et al., 1987).

A transgenic plant formed using Agrobacterium transformation methods typically contains a single gene on one chromosome. Such transgenic plants can be referred to as being heterozygous for the added gene. However, inasmuch as use of the word "heterozygous" usually implies the presence of a complementary gene at the same locus of the second chromosome of a pair of chromosomes, and there is no such gene in a plant containing one added gene as here, it is believed that a more accurate name for such a plant is an independent segregant, because the added, exogenous gene segregates independently during mitosis and meiosis.

More preferred is a transgenic plant that is homozygous for the added structural gene; i.e., a transgenic plant that contains two added genes, one gene at the same locus on each chromosome of a chromosome pair. A homozygous transgenic plant can be obtained by sexually mating (selfing) an independent segregant transgenic plant that contains a single added gene, germinating some of the seed produced and analyzing the resulting plants produced for enhanced carboxylase activity relative to a control (native, non-transgenic) or an independent segregant transgenic plant.

It is to be understood that two different transgenic plants can also be mated to produce offspring that contain two independently segregating added, exogenous genes. Selfing of appropriate progeny can produce plants that are homozygous for both added, exogenous genes that encode a polypeptide of interest. Back-crossing to a parental plant and out-crossing with a non-transgenic plant are also contemplated.

Application of these systems to different plant strains depends upon the ability to regenerate that particular plant strain from protoplasts. Illustrative methods for the regeneration of cereals from protoplasts are described (Fujimura et al., 1985; Toriyama et al., 1986; Yamada et al., 1986; Abdullah et al., 1986).

To transform plant strains that cannot be successfully regenerated from protoplasts, other ways to introduce DNA into intact cells or tissues can be utilized. For example, regeneration of cereals from immature embryos or explants can be effected as described (Vasil, 1988). In addition, "particle gun" or high-velocity microprojectile technology can be utilized (Vasil, 1992).

Using that latter technology, DNA is carried through the cell wall and into the cytoplasm on the surface of small metal particles as described (Klein et al., 1987; Klein et al., 1988; McCabe et al., 1988). The metal particles penetrate through several layers of cells and thus allow the transformation of cells within tissue explants.

4.11 Methods for Producing Insect-Resistant Transgenic Plants

By transforming a suitable host cell, such as a plant cell, with a recombinant cry1C* gene-containing segment, the expression of the encoded crystal protein (i.e., a bacterial crystal protein or polypeptide having insecticidal activity against lepidopterans) can result in the formation of insect-resistant plants.

By way of example, one may utilize an expression vector containing a coding region for a B. thuringiensis crystal protein and an appropriate selectable marker to transform a suspension of embryonic plant cells, such as wheat or corn cells using a method such as particle bombardment (Maddock et al., 1991; Vasil et al., 1992) to deliver the DNA coated on microprojectiles into the recipient cells. Transgenic plants are then regenerated from transformed embryonic calli that express the insecticidal proteins.

The formation of transgenic plants may also be accomplished using other methods of cell transformation which are known in the art such as Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer (Fraley et al., 1983). Alternatively, DNA can be introduced into plants by direct DNA transfer into pollen (Zhou et al., 1983; Hess, 1987; Luo et al., 1988), by injection of the DNA into reproductive organs of a plant (Pena et al., 1987), or by direct injection of DNA into the cells of immature embryos followed by the rehydration of desiccated embryos (Neuhaus et al., 1987; Benbrook et al., 1986).

The regeneration, development, and cultivation of plants from single plant protoplast transformants or from various transformed explants is well known in the art (Weissbach and Weissbach, 1988). This regeneration and growth process typically includes the steps of selection of transformed cells, culturing those individualized cells through the usual stages of embryonic development through the rooted plantlet stage. Transgenic embryos and seeds are similarly regenerated. The resulting transgenic rooted shoots are thereafter planted in an appropriate plant growth medium such as soil.

The development or regeneration of plants containing the foreign, exogenous gene that encodes a polypeptide of interest introduced by Agrobacterium from leaf explants can be achieved by methods well known in the art such as described (Horsch et al., 1985). In this procedure, transformants are cultured in the presence of a selection agent and in a medium that induces the regeneration of shoots in the plant strain being transformed as described (Fraley et al., 1983).

This procedure typically produces shoots within two to four months and those shoots are then transferred to an appropriate root-inducing medium containing the selective agent and an antibiotic to prevent bacterial growth. Shoots that rooted in the presence of the selective agent to form plantlets are then transplanted to soil or other media to allow the production of roots. These procedures vary depending upon the particular plant strain employed, such variations being well known in the art.

Preferably, the regenerated plants are self-pollinated to provide homozygous transgenic plants, as discussed before. Otherwise, pollen obtained from the regenerated plants is crossed to seed-grown plants of agronomically important, preferably inbred lines. Conversely, pollen from plants of those important lines is used to pollinate regenerated plants. A transgenic plant of the present invention containing a desired polypeptide is cultivated using methods well known to one skilled in the art.

A transgenic plant of this invention thus has an increased amount of a coding region (e.g., a cry1C* gene) that encodes the Cry1C* polypeptide of interest. A preferred transgenic plant is an independent segregant and can transmit that gene and its activity to its progeny. A more preferred transgenic plant is homozygous for that gene, and transmits that gene to all of its offspring on sexual mating. Seed from a transgenic plant may be grown in the field or greenhouse, and resulting sexually mature transgenic plants are self-pollinated to generate true breeding plants. The progeny from these plants become true breeding lines that are evaluated for, by way of example, increased insecticidal capacity against lepidopteran insects, preferably in the field, under a range of environmental conditions. The inventors contemplate that the present invention will find particular utility in the creation of transgenic plants of commercial interest including various turf grasses, wheat, corn, rice, barley, oats, a variety of ornamental plants and vegetables, as well as a number of nut- and fruit-bearing trees and plants.

4.12 Methods for Producing Crystal Proteins Having Multiple Mutations

Cry1C mutants containing substitutions in multiple loop regions may be constructed via a number of techniques. For instance, sequences of highly related genes can be readily shuffled using the PCR-based technique described by Stemmer (1994). Alternatively, if suitable restriction sites are available, the mutations of one cry1C gene may be combined with the mutations of a second cry1C gene by routine subcloning methodologies. If a suitable restriction site is not available, one may be generated by oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis using any number of procedures known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, splice-overlap extension PCR (Horton et al., 1989) may be used to combine mutations in different loop regions of Cry1C. In this procedure, overlapping DNA fragments generated by the PCR and containing different mutations within their unique sequences may be annealed and used as a template for amplification using flanking primers to generate a hybrid gene sequence. Finally, cry1C mutants may be combined by simply using one cry1C mutant as a template for oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis using any number of protocols such as those described herein.

5. EXAMPLES

The following examples are included to demonstrate preferred embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the techniques disclosed in the examples which follow represent techniques discovered by the inventor to function well in the practice of the invention, and thus can be considered to constitute preferred modes for its practice. However, those of skill in the art should, in light of the present disclosure, appreciate that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments which are disclosed and still obtain a like or similar result without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

5.1 Example 1Preparation of cry1C Templates for Random Mutagenesis

Structural maps for the cry1C plasmids pEG315 and pEG916 are shown in FIG. 2. The cry1C gene contained on these plasmids was isolated from the B. thuringiensis strain EG6346 subsp. aizawai, first described by Chambers et al. (1991). An ˜4 kb SalI-BamHI fragment containing the intact cry1C gene from EG6346 was cloned into the unique XhoI and BamHI sites of the shuttle vector pEG854, described by Baum et al. (1990) to yield pEG315. pEG916 is a pEG853 derivative (also described by Baum et al., 1990) containing the same cry1C gene fragment and a 3' transcription terminator region derived from the cry1F gene described by Chambers et al. (1991).

pEG345 (FIG. 3) is a pEG597 derivative (also described by Baum et al., 1990) that contains the cry1C gene from B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai strain 7.29, described by Sanchis et al. (1989) and disclosed in the European Pat. Appl. No. EP 295156A1 and Intl. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 88/09812. Both genes are nearly identical to the holotype cry1C gene described by Honee et al. (1988).

The recombinant DNA techniques employed are familiar to those skilled in the art of manipulating and cloning DNA fragments and employed pursuant to the teachings of Maniatis et al. (1982) and Sambrook et al. (1989).

A frame-shift mutation was introduced into the cry1C gene of pEG916 at codon 118. By analogy to the published crystal structures for Cry1Aa and Cry3A, the glutamic acid residue (E) at this position is predicted to lie within or immediately adjacent to the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of Cry1C domain 1, the target site for random mutagenesis. This mutated gene can be used as a template for oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis using a mutagenic primer that corrects the frame-shift mutation, thus ensuring that the majority of clones recovered encoding full-length protoxin molecules will have incorporated the mutagenic oligonucleotide.

The frame-shift mutation was introduced by a PCR™-mediated mutagenesis protocol using the oligonucleotide primers A, B, and C and pEG916 (FIG. 2) as the DNA template. The mutagenesis protocol, described by (Michael, 1994) relies on the use of a thermostable ligase to incorporate a phosphorylated mutagenic oligonucleotide into an amplified DNA fragment. The DNA sequence of these primers is shown below:

The mutagenic oligonucleotide, primer B, was designed to incorporate a BamHI and BlnI restriction site in addition to the frame-shift mutation at codon 118 (FIGS. 4A & 4B). The product obtained from the PCR™ was resolved by electrophoresis of an agarose-TAB gel and purified using the Geneclean II® Kit (Bio 101, Inc., La Jolla, Calif.) following the manufacturer's suggested protocol. The purified DNA fragment was digested with the restriction enzymes AgeI and BbuI. pEG916 was also digested with the restriction enzymes AgeI and BbuI and the restricted DNA fragments resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis and the vector fragment purified as described above. The amplified DNA fragment and the pEG916 vector fragment were ligated together with T4 ligase, and the ligation reaction used to transform the acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis strain EG10368 (described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,687) to Cml resistance, using the electroporation procedure described by Mettus and Macaluso (1990). Individual transformants were selected and many were determined to be acrystalliferous by phase-contrast microscopy of the sporulated cultures. Recombinant plasmids were isolated from B. thuringiensis transformants using the alkaline lysis procedure described by Maniatis et al. (1982). Incorporation of the frame-shift mutation into cry1C was also indicated by the presence of the BamHI and BlnI sites, determined by restriction enzyme analysis of the recombinant plasmids isolated from the EG10368 transformants. The recombinant plasmid incorporating the frame-shift mutation and the BamHI and BlnI sites was designated pEG359 (FIG. 2, 4A & AB).

pEG359 was introduced into the E. coli host strain DH5α by transformation using frozen competent cells and procedures obtained from GIBCO BRL (Gaithersburg, Md.). pEG359, purified from E. coli using the alkaline lysis procedure (Maniatis et al., 1982), was further modified by digestion with the restriction enzyme BglII and religation of the vector fragment with T4 ligase. The ligation reaction was used to transform the E. coli host strain DH5α as before. The resulting plasmid, designated p154 (FIG. 2), contains a deletion of the cry1C gene sequences downstream of the unique BglII site in cry1C.

5.2 Example 2Random Mutagenesis of Nucleotides 352-372 in cry1C

Mutagenesis of nucleotides 352-372, encoding the putative loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of Cry1C domain 1, was performed according to the PCR™-mediated "Megaprimer" method as described (Upender et al., 1995), using the oligonucleotide primers A (SEQ ID NO:15), C (SEQ ID NO:17), and D (SEQ ID NO:18).

N (24, 27, 30, 33, and 36)=82% T; 6% G, C, A. Numbers in parentheses correspond to the positions above in SEQ ID NO:18, wherein the first G is position number 1.

The mutagenic primer D corrects the frame-shift mutation and eliminates the BamHI and BlnI sites introduced into pEG359. To accomplish this mutagenesis, the Megaprimer was first synthesized by PCR™ amplification of pEG315 DNA (FIG. 2) using the mutagenic primer D and the opposing primer C (FIG. 5). The resulting amplified DNA fragment was purified by gel electrophoresis as described above and used in a second PCR™ using primers A and C and p154 as the template. Because the p154 template contains a deletion of the region complementary to primer C (FIG. 5), initiation of the PCR™ first requires extension of the Megaprimer to allow annealing of primer A to the mutagenic strand, thus ensuring that most of the amplified product obtain from the PCR™ incorporates the mutagenic DNA. The resulting PCR™ product was isolated and purified following gel electrophoresis in agarose and 1× TAE as described above.

The amplified DNA fragment was digested with the restriction enzymes AgeI and BbuI, to provide sticky ends suitable for cloning, and with the enzymes BamHI and BlnI to eliminate any residual p154 template DNA. pEG359 was digested with AgeI and BbuI and the vector fragment ligated to the restricted amplified DNA preparation. The ligation reaction was used to transform the E. coli Sure™ (Stratagene Cloning Systems, La Jolla, Calif.) strain to ampicillin (Amp) resistance (AmpR) using a standard transformation procedure. AmpR colonies were scraped from plates and growth for 1-2 hr at 37° C. in Luria Broth with 50 μg/ml of Amp. Plasmid DNA was isolated from this culture using the alkaline lysis procedure described above and used to transform B. thuringiensis EG10368 to Cml resistance (CmlR) by electroporation. Transformants were plated on starch agar plates containing 5 μg/ml Cml and incubated at 25-30° C. Restriction enzyme analysis of plasmid DNAs isolated from crystal-forming transformants indicated that ˜75% of the transformants had incorporated the mutagenic oligonucleotide at the target site (nt 352-372). That is, ˜75% of the crystal-forming transformants had lost the BamHI and BlnI sites at the target site on cry1C.

5.3 Example 3Mutagenesis of Arginine Residues in Cry1C Domain 1

Arginine residues within potential loop regions of Cry1C domain 1 were replaced by alanine residues using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. The elimination of these arginine residues may reduce the proteolysis of toxin protein by trypsin-like proteases in the lepidopteran midgut since trypsin is known to cleave peptide bonds immediately C-terminal to arginine and lysine. The arginine residues at amino acid positions 148 and 180 in the Cry1C amino acid sequence were replaced with alanine residues. The PCR™-mediated mutagenesis protocol used, described by Michael (1994) relies on the use of a thermostable ligase to incorporate a phosphorylated mutagenic oligonucleotide into an amplified DNA fragment. The mutagenesis of R148 employed the mutagenic primer E (SEQ ID NO:19) and the flanking primers A (SEQ ID NO:15) and primer F (SEQ ID NO:20). The mutagenesis of R180 employed the mutagenic primer G (SEQ ID NO:21) and the flanking primers A (SEQ ID NO:15) and F (SEQ ID NO:20). Both PCR™ studies employed pEG315 (FIG. 2) DNA as the cry1C template. Primer E was designed to eliminate an AsuII site within the wild-type cry1C nucleotide sequence. Primer G was designed to introduce a HincII site within the cry1C nucleotide sequence.

The products obtained from the PCR™ were purified following agarose gel electrophoresis using the Geneclean II® procedure and reamplified using the opposing primers A and F and standard PCR™ procedures. The resultant PCR™ products were digested with the restriction enzymes BbuI and AgeI, pEG315, containing the intact cry1C gene of EG6346, was digested with the restriction enzymes BbuI and AgeI. The restricted fragments were resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis in 1× TAE, the pEG315 vector fragment purified using the Geneclean II® procedure and, subsequently ligated to the amplified DNA fragments obtained from the mutagenesis using T4 ligase. The ligation reactions were used to transform the E. coli DH5α™ to Amp resistance using standard transformation methods. Transformants were selected on Luria plates containing 50 μg/ml Amp. Plasmid DNAs isolated from the E. coli transformants generated by the R148 mutagenesis were used to transform B. thuringiensis EG10368 to CmlR, using the electroporation procedure described by Mettus and Macaluso (1990). Transformants were selected on Luria plates containing 3 μg/ml Cml. Approximately 75% of the EG10368 transformants generated by the R148 mutagenesis had lost the AsuII site, indicating that the mutagenic oligonucleotide primer E had been incorporated into the cry1C gene. One transformant, designated EG11811, was chosen for further study. Approximately 25% of the E. coli transformants generated by the R180 mutagenesis contained the new HincII site introduced by the mutagenic oligonucleotide primer G, indicating that the mutagenic oligonucleotide had been incorporated into the cry1C gene. Plasmid DNA from one such transformant was used to transform the B. thuringiensis host strain EG10368 to CmlR by electroporation as before. One of the resulting transformants was designated EG11815.

cry1C template DNA was obtained from a PCR™ using the opposing primers H and F and plasmid pEG345 as a template. This DNA was then used as the template for a PCR™-mediated mutagenesis reaction that employed the flanking primers H and F and the mutagenic oligonucleotide E, using the procedure described by Michael (1994). The resultant PCR™ products were digested with the restriction enzymes BbuI and AgeI. The restricted DNA fragments were resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis in 1× TAE and the amplified cry1C fragment was purified using the Geneclean II® procedure. Similarly, plasmid pEG345 was digested with the restriction enzymes BbuI and AgeI, resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis in 1× TAE and the pEG345 vector fragment purified using the Geneclean II® procedure. The purified DNA fragments were ligated together using T4 ligase and used to transform E. coli DH5α using a standard transformation procedure. Transformants were selected on Luria plates containing 50 μg/ml Amp. Approximately 50% of the DH5α transformants generated by the R148 mutagenesis had lost the AsuII site, indicating that the mutagenic oligonucleotide primer E had been incorporated into the cry1C gene. Plasmid DNA from one transformant was used to transform B. thuringiensis EG10368 to CmlR, using the electroporation procedure described by Mettus and Macaluso (1990). Transformants were selected on Luria plates containing 3 ug/ml chloramphenicol. One of the transformants was designated EG11822.

The arginine residue at amino acid position 148 was also replaced with random amino acids. This mutagenesis of R148 employed the mutagenic primer I (SEQ ID No: 53), the flanking primers H (SEQ ID NO:52) and F (SEQ ID NO:20), and plasmid pEG345 as the source of the cry1C DNA template. Primer I was also designed to eliminate an AsuII site within the wild-type cry1C sequence.

cry1C template DNA was obtained from a PCR™ using the opposing primers H and F and plasmid pEG345 as a template. This DNA was then used as the template for a PCR™-mediated mutagenesis reaction that employed the flanking primers H and F and the mutagenic oligonucleotide I, using the procedure described by Michael (1994). The resultant PCR™ products were digested with the restriction enzymes BbuI and AgeI. The restricted DNA fragments were resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis in 1× TAE and the amplified cry1C fragment was purified using the Geneclean II® procedure. Similarly, plasmid pEG345 was digested with the restriction enzymes BbuI and AgeI, resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis in 1× TAE and the pEG345 vector fragment purified using the Geneclean II® procedure. The purified DNA fragments were ligated together using T4 ligase and used to transform E. coli DH5α to ampicillin resistance using a standard transformation procedure. Transformants were selected on Luria plates containing 50 ug/ml ampicillin. The DH5α transformants were pooled together and plasmid DNA was prepared using the alkaline lysis procedure. Plasmid DNA from the DH5α transformants was used to transform B. thuringiensis EG10368 to CmlR, using the electroporation procedure described by Mettus and Macaluso (1990). Transformants were selected that exhibited an opaque phenotype on starch agar plates containing 3 ug/ml chloramphenicol, indicating crystal protein production. Approximately 90% of the opaque EG10368 transformants generated by the R148 mutagenesis had lost the AsuII site, indicating that the mutagenic oligonucleotide primer I had been incorporated into the cry1C gene.

5.4 Example 4Bioassay Evaluation of Mutant Cry1C Toxins

EG10368 transformants containing mutant cry1C genes were grown in C2 medium, described by Donovan et al. (1988), for 3 days at 25° C. or until fully sporulated and lysed. The spore-Cry1C crystal suspensions recovered from the spent C2 cultures were used for bioassay evaluation against neonate larvae of Spodoptera exigua and 3rd instar larvae of Plutella xylostella.

EG10368 transformants harboring Cry1C mutants generated by random mutagenesis were grown in 2 ml of C2 medium and evaluated in one-dose bioassay screens. Each culture was diluted with 10 ml of 0.005% Triton X-100® and 25 μl of these dilutions were seeded into an additional 4 ml of 0.005% Triton X-100® to achieve the appropriate dilution for the bioassay screens. Fifty μl of this dilution were topically applied to 32 wells containing 1.0 ml artificial diet per well (surface area of 175 mm2). A single neonate larvae (S. exigua) or 3rd instar larvae (P. xylostella) was placed in each of the treated wells and the tray was covered by a clear perforated mylar strand. Larval mortality was scored after 7 days of feeding at 28-30° C. and percent mortality expressed as ratio of the number of dead larvae to the total number of larvae treated.

Three EG10368 transformants, designated EG11740, EG11746, and EG11747, were identified as showing increased insecticidal activity against Spodoptera exigua in replicated bioassay screens. The putative Cry1C variants in strains EG11740, EG11746, and EG11747 were designated Cry1C.563, Cry1C.579, and Cry1C.499, respectively. These three variants contain amino acid substitutions within the loop region between α helices 3 and 4 of Cry1C. EG11740, EG11746, and EG11747, as well as EG11726 (which contains the wild-type cry1C gene from strain EG6346) were grown in C2 medium for 3 days at 25° C. The cultures were centrifuged and the spore/crystal pellets were washed three times in 2× volumes of distilled-deionized water. The final pellet was suspended in an original volume of 0.005% TritonX-100 and crystal protein quantified by SDS-PAGE as described by Brussock and Currier (1990). The procedure was modified to eliminate the neutralization step with 3M HEPES. Eight δ-endotoxin concentrations of the spore/crystal preparations were prepared by serial dilution in 0.005% Triton X-100 and each concentration was topically applied to wells containing 1.0 ml of artificial diet. Larval mortality was scored after 7 days of feeding at 23-30° C. (32 larvae for each δ-endotoxin concentration). Mortality data was expressed as LC50 and LC95 values, in accordance with the technique of Daum (1970), the concentration of Cry1C protein (ng/well) causing 50% and 95% mortality, respectively (TABLE 3, TABLE 4, and TABLE 5). Strains EG11740 (Cry1C.563) and EG11746 (Cry1C.579) exhibited 3-fold lower LC95 values than the control strain EG11726 (Cry1C) against S. exigua, while retaining a comparable level of activity against P. xylostella. EG11740 and EG11746 also exhibited significantly lower LC50 values against S. exigua.

The Cry1C mutant strains EG11811 (Cry1C R148A) and EG11815 (Cry1C R180A) were grown in C2 medium and evaluated using the same quantitative eight-dose bioassay procedure. The insecticidal activities of Cry1C and Cry1C R180A against S. exigua and P. xylostella were not significantly different, however, Cry1C R148A exhibited a 3.6-fold lower LC50 and a 3.7-fold lower LC95 against S. exigua when compared to the original Cry1C-endotoxin (TABLE 5). Cry1C R148A and Cry1C exhibited comparable insecticidal activity against P. xylostella (TABLE 4).

EG10368 transformants harboring random mutants at position R148 of Cry1C were evaluated in bioassay in a one-dose screen against S. exigua as described above. Five Cry1C mutants were identified with improved activity over wild-type Cry1C. The mutants were then evaluated in eight-dose bioassay against S. exigua as described above. All five Cry1C mutants gave a significantly lower LC50 than wild-type Cry1C (TABLE 8), comparable to EG11822 (R148A). One mutant, designated EG11832 (Cry1C-R148D) gave a significantly lower LC50 and LC95 than EG11822, indicating further improved toxicity towards S. exigua.

Recombinant plasmids from the EG10368 transformants were isolated using the alkaline lysis method (Maniatis et al., 1982). Plasmids obtained from the transformants were introduced into the E. coli host strain DH5α™ by competent cell transformation and used as templates for DNA sequencing using the Sequenase®v2.0 DNA sequencing kit (U.S. Biochemical Corp., Cleveland, Ohio).

Sequence analysis of the random R148 mutants indicate changes of R148 to aspartic acid, methionine, leucine, and glycine. Thus, a variety of amino acid substitutions for the positively-charged arginine residue at position 148 in Cry1C result in improved toxicity. None of these substitutions can be regarded as conservative changes. Alanine, leucine, and methionine are non-polar amino acids, aspartic acid is a negatively-charged amino acid, and glycine is an uncharged amino acid, all possessing side chains smaller than that of arginine. All of these amino acids, with the exception of aspartic acid, differ significantly (±2 units) from arginine using the hydropathic and hydrophilicity indices described above.

The strain harboring the cry1C-R148D gene was designated EG11832. The nucleotide sequence of the cry1C-R148D gene is shown in SEQ ID NO:3, and the amino acid sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO:4. The nucleotide substitutions C442G, G443A, and A444C yield the codon GAC, encoding aspartic acid. The Cry1C-R148D mutant EG11832 exhibits a ˜6.5-fold lower LC50 and a ˜8-fold lower LC95 in bioassay against S. exigua when compared to the wild-type Cry1C strain.

The Bacillus thuringiensis host strain EG4923-4 may be used as a host strain for the native and mutant cry1C genes of the present invention. Strain EG4923-4 contains three cry1Ac genes and one cry2A gene on native plasmids and exhibits excellent insecticidal activity against a variety of lepidopteran pests. Recombinant plasmids containing the cry1C and cry1C-R148A crystal protein genes, originally derived from aizawai strain 7.29, were introduced into the strain EG4923-4 background using the electroporation procedure described by Mettus and Macaluso (1990). The recombinant plasmids containing cry1C and cry1C-R148A were designated pEG348 (FIGS. 7A & 7B) and pEG1641 (FIGS. 8A & 8B), respectively, and were similar in structure to the cry1 plasmids described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,884 (specifically incorporated herein by reference).

Strain EG4923-4 transformants containing plasmids pEG348 and pEG1641 were isolated on Luria plates containing 10 μg/ml tetracycline. Recombinant plasmid DNAs from the transformants were isolated by the alkaline lysis procedure described by Baum (1995) and confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis. The plasmid arrays of the transformants were further confirmed by the Eckhardt agarose gel analysis procedure described by Gonzalez Jr. et al., (1982). The EG4923-4 recombinant derivatives were designated EG49234/pEG348 and EG49234/pEG1641.

pEG348 and pEG1641 contain duplicate copies of a site-specific recombination site or internal resolution site (IRS) that serves as a substrate for an in vivo site-specific recombination reaction mediated by the TnpI recombinase of transposon Tn5401 (described in Baum, 1995). This site-specific recombination reaction, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,884, results in the deletion of non-B. thuringiensis DNA or foreign DNA elements from the crystal protein-encoding recombinant plasmids. The resulting recombinant B. thuringiensis strains are free of foreign DNA elements, a desirable feature for genetically engineered strains destined for use as bioinsecticides for spray-on application. Strains EG4923-4/pEG348 and EG4923-4/pEG1641 were modified using this in vivo site-specific recombination (SSR) system to generate two new strains (TABLE 10), designated EG7841-1 (alias EG11730) and EG7841-2 (alias EG11831). The recombinant plasmids in strains EG7841-1 and EG7841-2 were designated pEG348Δ and pEG1641Δ, respectively.

All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the Compositions and Methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain agents which are both chemically and physiologically related may be substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.